South Dakota: Board of Education Approves Model Tobacco Policy

The cornerstone of a comprehensive effort to discourage tobacco use is the adoption and consistent enforcement of policies for a completely tobacco-free school environment. According to the 2008 South Dakota School Health Profiles, only 35% of the secondary schools have a comprehensive policy that prohibits tobacco use by students, staff, and visitors in school building, at school functions, in school vehicles, on school grounds, and at off-site school events. In order to improve tobacco policy in our schools, Coordinated School Health partnered with the Department of Health Tobacco Control Program and the Associated School Boards of South Dakota (ASBSD) to develop a comprehensive tobacco policy for K-12 schools.

Coordinated School Health presented the policy to the South Dakota Board of Education (BOE) and requested their approval of the policy as a “model” policy for schools to follow. The BOE approved this request on January 5, 2010. CSH is working with ASBSD to provide training regarding policy development and implementation. The model policy is posted on the Departments of Education and Health web sites, along with resources available to support local implementation including a tobacco policy self assessment, signage, and educational materials. For more information, go to the SD Department of Education web site http://doe.sd.gov/

• Contact Person: Kari Senger
• Email Address: kari.senger@state.sd.us
• Website Address: http://doe.sd.gov/oess/schoolhealth/index.asp