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Currituck Adopts Tobacco-Free Policy

The Currituck County Board of Education adopted a 100% Tobacco Free Schools (TFS) policy at its meeting on Monday, January 10 in the gymnasium of the Knott’s Island Elementary School.

The policy was adopted after three readings at three meetings to provide opportunities for reactions by staff and residents. There was no opposition from the public or the Board of Education which passed the policy with a 5-0 vote.

Teen Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Initiative (TTPCI) Project Director Diana Gardner and Coordinator Brian Page were in attendance at the meeting in the event Board or audience members had any questions.

“The Superintendent and the Board adopted this policy in a manner that should serve as a model for all organizations that deal with the public,” said Gardner. “Discussions began on the level among people who would be most affected by the policy. Through a genuine concern for the health and welfare of the children, staff and visitors, a policy was formulated that all could support. Superintendent Warren and the Board are to be commended for their leadership in bringing about a policy that shows his and the Board’s concern for the health and welfare of all those coming into contact with the Currituck County Public Schools.”

Currituck County becomes the 47th school district in the state to approve the Tobacco Free Schools policy. The policy was moved and seconded by Board members, Sharon Martz and Mary Ellen Maxwell respectively with members Cathy Midgette-Hatcher, Janet Taylor and Chairman John Barnes voting in favor of the measure.

“People comment to me that it must be difficult for a school district to consider a policy banning tobacco use in a state known for growing tobacco and I have to laugh. Why would a school district hesitate even for a moment in considering adopting a policy designed to protect its clients from something so harmful as tobacco. I question why some districts have not demonstrated the same level of concern,” commented Page. In addition to Currituck County, Page’s regions of responsibility include Bertie (which is 100% tobacco free), Camden and Pasquotank counties.

State level representatives plan to attend the next Currituck County Board of Education meeting on Monday, February 14 to make a presentation commemorating the passage of the TFS policy. That meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at Currituck County Middle School.

The Northeastern North Carolina Partnership for Public Health (NENCPPH) administers the grant-funded TTPCI program in eleven northeastern counties through a project director and four coordinators.

The TTPCI was made possible by a grant from the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund to discourage the use of tobacco by youth.

Created by the General Assembly in 2000 to allocate a portion of North Carolina’s share of the national tobacco settlement, HWTF has invested $55 million to support preventive health initiatives and $78 million to fund a prescription drug assistance program for seniors.

The NENCPPH consists of 11 local health departments that serve a 19 county area in northeast North Carolina. The counties formed the partnership to maximize the available resources and service potential of local health departments through cooperation with each other on public health issues.

The Partnership is guided by a governing board comprised of local health directors and representatives from the NC Division of Public Health and the NC Institute for Public Health at the University of North Carolina.