Schools
Children’s exposure to secondhand smoke is still a problem in many Massachusetts schools. The Surgeon General has concluded that there is no safe level of secondhand smoke exposure. Even brief exposures can be harmful.
Because of the clear health risks of secondhand smoke, it’s illegal for students, school staff, and visitors to smoke or use tobacco products in school buildings and on public school property at any time.
Secondhand smoke in schools is everyone’s problem. School administrators need your support to make schools smoke-free. You can help them by spreading the word that secondhand smoke is a serious health hazard and by reminding people that anyone who smokes on public school property is breaking the law.
You can also report smoking on school grounds to the state’s anonymous telephone line at (800) 922-1895.
Learn more about school tobacco policies, laws about smoking on school property, and much more from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Stop the Secondhand Smoke in Schools! campaign.
Laws about smoking in schools
Learn more about the effects of secondhand smoke on children’s health at the Surgeon General’s website.
Free materials are available for schools. Use this form to place an order through the Massachusetts Health Promotion Clearinghouse.
