If you got caught smoking anywhere at my former high school (including the girls restroom), you would be automatically expelled. Not placed on detention or suspended for a few days; rather, you’d be kicked off campus for good. No questions asked. No second chances.
Given my history with no-nonsense school administrators, and their severe opposition to smoking, you can imagine how floored I was to learn that a school located near Cardiff, Wales, is actually considering a move to create an area on campus that kids could go in case they needed a smoke break during school hours.
If that isn’t enough to get you fired up, consider this: According to reports, the same school currently bans teachers from smoking anywhere on campus.
So let’s review: Headlands School in Penarth forbids teachers from smoking anywhere on campus, but they are thinking of building an outdoor shelter, so teenage students can suck on their cancer sticks without being hassled by others.
The entire story is a bit off to me. Granted, the school boards students and the teens, who are addicted to cigarettes, are supposedly in a “smoking reduction programme” whereby teachers monitor the students’ smoking habits by controlling access to their cigs. Still, I don’t see the logic in creating a comfy area on school property that promotes a potentially deadly habit. If you are trying to discourage teens from smoking, then have them light up outside during a drenching rain or force them to walk 300 yards to a maggot-infested dump. I’m no addiction specialist, but I’m pretty sure providing a conveniently located comfy little smoke shack does little to enforce a message to “QUIT SMOKING!”
In regards to the seemingly hypocritical rule that bans teachers from smoking and not students, school administrators reason that educators need to set a good example for cigarette addicted teens, and therefore, adults are not allowed to smoke on campus.
From the outset, the rule seems noble, though, I’m not sure how effective it is when you are thinking of constructing an area on campus for kids to engage in a bad habit, and essentially sparing teachers from making the same poor choice.
What do you make of the strange school smoking situation?
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