transcript: Tobacco Free School Policies
Text: Students Working Against Tobacco
24/7 Tobacco-Free Schools
Text: SWAT Member - 8th Grade (video of female teen sitting in chair saying)
The 24/7 policy states that no one is allowed to have tobacco on school grounds at any time. And that’s even at football games. And some people were worried that this would affect people like adults coming to the football games and that there wouldn’t be a lot of people there and it turned out to be a good thing and it was very positive and it’s a great thing for the community.
Text: SWAT Member – 12th Grade (video of male teen standing saying)
Our SWAT team went around gathering support for 24/7 in order to keep our school tobacco free.
Text: SWAT Member – 11th Grade (video of male teen standing saying)
It’s not about taking away the rights of the students, it’s about providing a sanctuary for the students who like clean air. Therefore, we should all strive to make our schools incorporate the 24/7 policy so we can all be healthy, cancer free and very good parents.
Text: St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton (video of female teen sitting in chair saying)
Having a SWAT team was important in passing the 24/7 policy because we were able to use resources and network with others in the school community. When our SWAT team decided to pass the 24/7 policy, we first chose the policy, then we wrote the policy for our school, we drummed up support from our community through networking and presented it to the school board. That’s how we passed the 24/7 policy.
Text: Step 1: Choose Policy
Step 2: Rewrite Policy
Step 3: Partner with Other School Organizations
Step 4: Meet with Superintendent
Step 5: Present to School Board
Step 6: Celebrate Policy Change Victory
Text: Bishop McGuinness HS (video of male teen standing saying)
I’ve found that using SWAT to get 24/7 passed is easier than using any other method.
Text: Bishop McGuinness HS (video of male teen standing saying)
I think it’s very critical. The policy actually empowers the youth as well. Just having the parents and the adults dictate our rules and policies is unfair and not democratic.
Text: Adult Facilitator (video of adult woman saying)
I always try to keep the youth very involved, very pumped up about each of these activities. The more involved they are, the more they take an ownership of an issues such as the 24/7 policy and this engages them in activism and this has really been the key to our passing the 24/7 policy.
(Video of male teen standing saying)
The really good thing about the 24/7 is it’s really nice to see the SWAT members going around acting as activists.
(Video of male teen standing saying)
Perseverance is key in situations like this. When school boards table issues, such as 24/7 policies, the students need to continue to fight for their rights.
Text: Youth Involvement is Key in Passing 24/7 Policy.
Text: St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton School (adult facilitator saying)
Youth involvement is so important in this process every step of the way. I like to have the youth help out from deciding what issues we are going to be presenting, to writing, brainstorming about it, how they are going to get their support, how they’re going to present it to the school board, networking, and bringing in other resources. And then finally, the most important step and that’s in passing it and the fulfillment that they get from passing an important issue like the 24/7 policy.
(Video male student standing saying)
It’s important to tie the 24/7 policy into the school’s mission. It shouldn’t be about the school turning into an anti-tobacco advocate.
(Video of adult facilitator saying)
Then we move into the state of enforcement. And here the kids get a chance to make announcements, choose some literature, and pass out materials and inform people in different ways even with informal discussion so that people will become aware and comfortable with this new policy and we get some feedback and they get to feel the effects of something they have helped pass and they get to get out and spread the word.
Text: “The adults are practicing what they tell us to do.” Alvina – 6th Grade.
“I am a smoker, but I don’t approve of smoking on school grounds or in front of the kids. It does not set a good example for the students.” Pattie Strobel, Burns Flat, OK
Text: Students Working Against Tobacco
24/7 Tobacco-Free Schools