Tobacco-Free Schools

• Why Tobacco-Free Schools?
• Adopting a Policy
• Policy Communication
• Policy Enforcement
• Tools & Resources
• Research & Facts
• Links
• Contact Us
• Site Map

Tools & Resources

Funding from the Health and Wellness Trust Fund has made the following resources and tools available to your school district or organization to help develop, implement and enforce a 100% tobacco free school policy.

Training

Tobacco Free Schools Policy Enforcement Workshop
This 1-hour training is offered to staff responsible for policy enforcement in school districts that have adopted a 100% tobacco free school policy. Topics covered include: planning for enforcement; common enforcement challenges and solutions; and lessons learned from other NC school districts. Enforcement toolkits are provided to participants. Click here for more information.

Consultation and Technical Assistance

Technical assistance is available to help school districts, school boards, community advocates, and community coalitions assess needs, develop advocacy strategies, address enforcement issues, establish alternative to suspension or youth cessation programs, develop processes for monitoring and evaluating the policy, or on other issues. Contact us for more information.

Peer Network

We can link school administrators interested in adopting this policy - including superintendents, board members, and principals - with their peers in school districts that have successfully done so. We can also put leaders whoa re interested in addressing this issue in touch with others in their community so that they can join forces, share ideas, and work together. Contact us for more information.

Tobacco-Free Schools Signs

The North Carolina Tobacco-Free Schools Signs Project is a statewide program sponsored by the Health and Wellness Trust Fund to provide signs - including banners, floor stands, metal signs, stickers, and decals - to school districts that adopt a 100% tobacco-free school policy. Signage is available at no cost to school districts to promote and communicate 100% tobacco-free school policies to students, staff, and school visitors.

Media Resources

Tobacco. Reality. Unfiltered. is a statewide campaign sponsored by the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund. Its mission is to reduce tobacco use among teens in North Carolina and provide treatment options for those who quit. Campaign materials are available for download (and free use in your community) at www.tobaccorealityunfiltered.com.

The following posters, envelope stuffers, and newspaper ads that promote 100% tobacco free schools are available at no charge as a part of the Health and Wellness Trust Fund media campaign.

The posters, newspaper ads, and envelope stuffer below are in PDF format. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view PDF files. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader here.  The radio ads are in MP3 format.

Downloadable Resources

The following resources to support your local efforts are available at no charge:

• Question Why Tools for Schools Kit (pdf 148 kb)- This toolkit was designed by the North Carolina's Question Why Youth Empowerment Center to provide the tools needed to collect data for for action to promote tobacco-free schools. (pdf 148 kb)

• Guidelines for School Health Programs to Prevent Tobacco Use and Addiction (pdf 228 kb) - Originally published in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), these guidelines identify strategies most likely to be effective in preventing tobacco use and addiction among young people. Download the guide in PDF format by clicking the link above, or click here to view the guide in HTML format on the CDC website. (pdf 228 kb)

• School Health Index for Physical Activity, Healthy Eating, and a Tobacco-Free Lifestyle: A Self-Assessment and Planning Guide - The School Health Index is a self-assessment and planning tool that assists in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of your school's health promotion policies and programs, developing an action plan for improving student health, and involving teachers, parents, students, and the community in improving school policies and programs. The Index has multiple sections and modules available covering elementary, middle, and high school students. Visit the CDC website by clicking the link above to view and/or download any or all of the documents.
• Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: Clinical Practice Guidelines - The office of the U.S. Surgeon General has published guidelines for smoking cessation that can be viewed and downloaded from their website by clicking the link above. There are multiple PDF files available to address different needs, as well as a searchable full text version of the guidelines.