• School board will make ban official at Sept. 10 meeting.

By FULLER ROYAL
Staff Writer

Unless another system beats it to the punch, the Whiteville City Schools will become the 88th school district in the state to ban all tobacco on its campuses and property and at all school or school-sponsored events.

This will mean an end to smoking by students or employees on any campus and by spectators at any sporting event, indoors or out.

The decision, which comes in the wake of the North Carolina General Assembly’s smoking ban on any state property, was made through unanimous consent of the four board members present – chairman Carlton Prince, Dave Flowers, Jim DiMuzio and Larry Hewett. Board member Greg Merritt was absent.

Whiteville policy requires 30 days between the first reading of a new policy and its official adoption.

Prince polled each board member to see if they would support the tobacco-free policy so that Superintendent Randall Shaver could implement the ban in time for the start of school and before the first home football game.

Shaver said that the Brunswick County Schools banned tobacco last week.

“They did that to get ahead of the curve,” he told the board. “I think we need a year to implement and fully enforce the law.”

The state’s new law, SB 1076, requires that all school systems be in compliance by Aug. 1, 2008.

Shaver said that now is the time to begin the ban because it will take a year to fully implement the rules and to make people aware.

Shaver, who worked in tobacco as a child, said he knew it would be a touchy subject with some folks.
“I never used it,” he said. “It killed several members of my family.

“I don’t think our legislators have adopted this unwisely,” he said. “We, as adults, have to make decisions for children in our school system.”

He strongly urged the board to pass the ban.

Shaver said that as the chief officer of the school system, he had told all of his principals that no employee will possess or use tobacco on campus this year.

He said that it takes away the value of education dollars when teachers spend part of their planning periods hidden away on campus smoking.

“I expect every person will comply,” he said.

Prince said he completely agrees with the policy.

Former board member LaDeen Powell mentioned the possibility of a smoke-free school system during the board’s 2006 planning session.

The idea was discussed for a few minutes at that meeting and dismissed.

The policy will not be official until the board passes it at its Sept. 10 meeting.