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Announcements for Communicating a 100% Tobacco-Free
School Policy at School Sporting Events
School sponsored athletic events are an opportunity for students, staff and community members to have fun, celebrate student athleticism and enjoy the excitement of competition – not be exposed to secondhand smoke or examples of tobacco use. We encourage school district staff to use these events to remind students, staff and school supporters that the district has a 100% tobacco-free school policy in place – one that prohibits tobacco use anywhere on campus, at anytime, by anyone. Regular announcements at football, soccer, baseball and other athletic events are a simple and effective strategy for getting the message across, especially when used in combination with signage and information in event brochures.
Effective Use of Announcements
Advocates and school staff provide the following suggestions for using announcements to effectively communicate a tobacco-free school policy:
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Positive, pro-health announcement : Announcements should be positive – reminding visitors that the policy exists to protect the health of students. |
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At least four announcements : Provide at least four announcements – at the beginning of the game; end of the first quarter; half-time; and end of the third quarter – to ensure everyone is aware of the policy. |
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Youth participation : Invite youth groups such as Teens Against Tobacco Use (TATU) or Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) teams to create and make the announcements. |
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Support the announcements : Have prominently displayed signs and announcements in event brochures that reinforce the announcements. |
Sample Announcements
Following are sample announcements for you to modify and use these at your school sponsored athletic events:
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15 seconds: For the safety of our students, (Name of school district) is proud to have a 100% tobacco-free school policy. At this time, we would like to remind our home fans and visitors that the use of any tobacco products during tonight’s sporting event is strictly prohibited. We appreciate your support and would like to thank you for keeping our school and stadium tobacco-free. Enjoy the game!” |
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15 seconds: Did you know that more than 1600 nonsmokers in North Carolina will die this year due to exposure to secondhand smoke? This is one reason why all (name of school district) schools are 100% tobacco-free. We remind our visitors and fans that smoking or chewing tobacco is prohibited on school grounds – including in and around the stadium. Thank you for your support and enjoy the game. |
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15 seconds: Nearly 25,000 NC kids under 18 become new smokers each year. That is one reason why (name of school district) schools has a 100% tobacco-free school policy. Tobacco use of any kind is strictly prohibited on all school property – including in and around the stadium. Thank you for your support and for helping us help our students be tobacco-free. |
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15 seconds: Tobacco kills more than 1,200 Americans every day. 80% of them started smoking before they were 18. This is one reason why (name of school district) schools are 100% tobacco-free. We would like to remind our visitors and fans that tobacco use of any kind during tonight’s game is prohibited. Thank you for your support and enjoy the game. |
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30 seconds: Hey fans! Did you know that tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death in North Carolina? Every year more than 14,000 people in our state die from the use of tobacco products – more than those who die from AIDS, alcohol, traffic accidents, illegal drugs, murder and suicide combined. This is one reason why (name of school district) schools are 100% tobacco-free. This means no tobacco use anytime, by anyone, anywhere on campus – including stadiums. We appreciate your support and thank you for keeping our school and stadium tobacco-free. Enjoy the game!” |