JARRETT GOODMAN
Staff Writer
The Marion County Board of Education has given the thumbs up of a newly proposed Smoke-Free and Tobacco-Free policy within the school system on the first read.
According to Director of Schools Mark Griffith, the purpose of Policy 1.803 is to help further strengthen current policies surrounding countywide restrictions towards students using tobacco related products. He explained by having the policy approved, additional sanctions would be implemented towards combating tobacco use within public schools. However, all sanctions towards tobacco prevention would directly be under the supervision of each school in the county.
“A policy is only as good as the enforcer,” said Griffith. “If it’s not going to be up to this body or myself to enforce it, then it would be up to the administrators in each building to enforce that.”
Griffith expressed how he hoped the implementation of added sanctions towards anti-smoking in schools helps with deterring students from using any tobacco related products, as 5.4% of all Tennessee high school students were reported to smoke, and 21.6% who use e-cigarettes, according to numbers released by the nationwide Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. Tennessee’s tobacco industry alone generated $26.5 billion in tax revenue during the 2024-2025 fiscal year, with the state encompassing 10% of the nation’s entire tobacco manufacturing industry.
“Nothing is full proof by no means,” said Griffith. “But anything we can do and this board could do to step up and try to help deter a child from getting on that and abusing that, I’m one hundred percent with it.”
Policy 1.803 got the approval on its first reading, leaving the second and final reading to be examined and approved before the policy can officially be implemented.