HCS designates tobacco zones

A new tobacco policy for Hardin County Schools will limit tobacco use on campuses to privately owned vehicles.

The state championship Project Citizen group from Meadow View Elementary School in Radcliff included the measure as a suggestion in a list of policies submitted to Hardin County Schools Board.

Board members approved the policy Thursday.

Administrators decided not to recommend the students’ suggestion that schools go tobacco-free.

The previous policy allowed principals to designate smoking areas on school grounds 15 feet away from entrances.

Superintendent Nannette Johnston said the recommendation did a good job bringing to administrators’ attention that the district’s tobacco policy isn’t widely known or followed.

Some schools have designated smoking areas, while others don’t, she said.

“We felt like we needed to be consistent across the board and not have people worrying about where they put the sign or where they’re supposed to be,” she said.

The designated areas will apply to everyone on campus old enough to legally use tobacco, including visitors.

Johnston said the district needs to use announcers at sporting events to make sure adults associated with Hardin County Schools know the tobacco policy and follow it.

“It’s going to take a lot of education,” she said. “We’re not going to have tobacco police out there patrolling.”

The district will post signs to inform users about the policy, Johnston said.

“Otherwise, we would be back to the same thing,” she said.

Board member Charlie Wise said the policy might be hard to enforce, especially during football games.

Board member Suzanne Broadwater said students did a wonderful job of bringing an important issue to board members’ attention and offering solutions.

Amber Coulter can be reached at (270) 505-1746 or acoulter@thenewsenterprise.com.