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Support of NC Leaders for 100% Tobacco-Free Schools
As teen tobacco use escalated over the past decade, so have public health initiatives to preventand reduce tobacco use. In the fall of 1999, Governor Jim Hunt reviewed the data from the 1999 youth tobacco survey and became alarmed at the level of teen tobacco use in our state. He immediately called for a teen tobacco summit to study the issue and a plan of action to counteract this serious trend.
In January 2000, over 500 teens and supporting tobacco prevention professionals met and studied this complex issue and called for a series of new initiatives including making all North Carolina school campuses 100% tobacco-free. Since that time, our state has moved steadily and confidently toward that goal with other state leaders documenting their support for 100% tobacco-free schools, including Governor Mike Easley and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Ward and Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue.
In June 2002, the State Board of Education passed a resolution calling for local school districts to adopt a tobacco-free policy that prohibits tobacco use for students, staff and visitors on school property during operational hours in their local education agency. In July, 2003, the North Carolina legislature passed Senate Bill 583 – Tobacco Use in Schools – which joins federal legislation in banning the use of tobacco products in school buildings.
We encourage you to print out copies of the letters and resolutions listed below and use them with your community to illustrate the support we have at the state level. The documents below are in PDF format. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view PDF files. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader here.
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Governor Michael Easley and State Superintendent Michael Ward (pdf 37 kb) |
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Former Governor Jim Hunt (pdf 29 kb) |
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Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue (pdf 26 kb) |
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State School Board Tobacco-Free Schools Resolution (pdf 26 kb) |
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North Carolina Senate Bill 583 (pdf 7 kb) |