26 June 2007

Smoking Ban in ACT Schools

| GnT
Join the conversation
29

Education Minister Andrew Barr has announced that ACT schools are finally going to catch up with the rest of Australia and ban smoking on school grounds.

You may be thinking, like me, isn’t smoking already banned in schools? Smoking is currently banned in ACT government primary and high schools, but some colleges allow smoking by both teachers and students over 18.

What amazes me more than the fact they have taken so long to get with the program is the reaction by the other political parties. Liberal Vicki Dunne says some teachers need to smoke to reduce stress, and Greens Deb Foskey asks who will police the ban (um … teachers?).

About time I say.

Join the conversation

29
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

Then ping them for an offence against the school rules.

School rules have been written down since I was a tot, they go along the lines of:

No Biting
No Scratching
No Smoking
No Kicking
etc.

Getting children to follow directions is a quality of a good teacher, whether or not acknowledgement is needed via disciplinary measures.

If a child does not know where the playing boundaries are – how on earth do you expect a child to play within the boundaries ?

Therefore the answer is simple; if smoking is banned at schools, an appropriate punishment should be awared to people who elect to contravene that rule, regardless of if they are legally allowed to do that activity or not.

May I suggest a 5 min presentation at the next school hall on the merits of smoking might be a good avenue to dispense peer justice ?

Thumper, yeah I said that – we can only take them off the students.

However, the principal issue is the parents. We all know that they either 1) get mum and dad to buy them or 2) get an older sibling or friend to buy them.

Either way, it’s the irresponsibility of the “mature adult” that leads to cigarettes being in schools in the first place (minus the over 18 teachers who buy them).

Mael, teachers don’t “allow” smoking.

We are not their parents and the most we can do is take the smoke off them.

PARENTAL responsibility should dictate that 1) they don’t condone it and 2) don’t buy the smokes for them.

It’s not the school’s responsibility to police this. If it becomes so, then I for one want it counted as my 19th hour (see Teachers EBA for that one).

I’m frankly surprised that the current left wing neo fem lez nazo pinko dribblers that currently occupy valuable oxygen space actually allow smoking in the first place, especially when they are so happy to produce a ‘human meat shield’ during curriculum hours over issues like school closures or any other leftie protestation that needs to occur.

Then again, it’s all about being non-confrontational I suppose (unless the meat shield is in place)…

I think all kids at school should be forced to smoke, take heroin, eat trans-fatty foods, have sex, get a piercing, snort coke – it’ll make them more well rounded and interesting individuals in later life.

Thank you bonfire. Bile where bile is due.

Absent Diane12:57 pm 11 Jul 07

I was once convinced that I had infiltrated a major political party but it turned out I hadn’t; so all was good and I relaxed for a bit.

The above statement may or may not contain a) truth b)lies c) ridiculum

kramer – do you seriously suggest that on a school ground there is no where for me to have a durry which will impact upon your sensitive nostrils ?

if they can whisk away vapours from the crapper, a few tendrils of cool refreshing burnt laramie shouldnt be a problem.

youre right mr shab (for once) which is why i plan to infiltrate a major party and run for office…

vote 1 bonfire!

then i shall implement a beasleyesque ‘rollback’ agenda.

“i like the irony of the govt that introduced human rights legislation, methodically strips those rights away one by one.”

What about my right to not inhale other people’s filthy smoke?

Oh come on bonfire – do you really think there’s any votes for the opposition in allowing college students to smoke on civil liberties grounds?

It’s not a “jackboot leftist” agenda forcing this issue (keen as you are to lump everything you disagree with on them). It’s just the usual bunch of hand-wringing “think of the children!” health nazis. Such types come from political persuasions of all stripes.

i like the irony of the govt that introduced human rights legislation, methodically strips those rights away one by one.

the right to liberty and to go about your personal business without interference is ignored by this dictate.

if you have a lunch break or any other break (which are mandated by OH&S legislation) then what you do in that time is your choice.

this jackbooting bunch of leftists need to go.

Since my major asthma attack, I don’t smoke anymore. It caught me and a lot of people off guard to be honest.

However, if a child under 18yo is smoking, it isn’t a school issue, it is a parental issue.

If parents are buying their children cigarettes then they need to be reported for child endangerment or something along those lines.

There are more important issues which need to be dealt with by ACTDET, and smoking isn’t one of them. Teachers have other things to deal with than to police smoking.

I support enthusiastically any action to rub out the filthy habit. Of course there should be no smoking in schools, for passive smoking OH&S reasons if for no other.

It’s not a human right any more than it is a human right to spit at passers-by.

While I agree with Nyssa that there’s plenty worse probably happening and needing a response, it’s something positive that can be done.

Sorry, had to say this:

Let’s worry less about smoking in schools – it’s more the students than anyone btw.

This is especially so when we have classes being taught by teachers who aren’t qualified in that subject or who haven’t been near that area since Uni. For instance – PE teaching maths, science or food, Maths teachers in English/SOSE and my personal favourite: anyone teaching a language who doesn’t have qualifications.

Yes, smoking is so much more important Mr. Barr. I’d fire your Strategic Management Planning team and hire people who actually know what they are doing because your current lot are crap.

When you don’t have the staff to teach certain subjects but expect the 19th hour to be implemented immediately – thus knobbling any chance of extra staffing to cover said classes – what do you expect?

Rant over.

I like how it is expected of teachers, with everything else they have to do during the course of a day, to enforce this shite.

Besides, the amount of kids I have caught smoking (high school) on school grounds is ridiculous.

Wasn’t there a fine to be imposed on ANYONE who smoked on Govt property? Why aren’t the smoke-nazi’s out there enforcing that? The kids parents would soon deal with the issue (as parents should) when the $20K or so fine turned up.

Deadmandrinking5:25 pm 28 Jun 07

Why not just have designated smoking areas? Less hassle for the poor bloody teachers who are going to start enforcing this.

neanderthalsis2:40 pm 27 Jun 07

Once upon a time it was the kids that had to sneak behind the buildings for a smoke, now it is the teachers. Oh, the irony.

GnT is shocked that people believe that Mummy Government shouldn’t stick their noses in every aspect of our lives? GnT needs to broaden his/her horizons.

THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!!!!!!

WTF? My post went AWOL?

Kramer, cigarettes are already 75% tax. ADF personnel get them for $3-4.

As for smoking in your own house, who’s going to police it? Hrmmm…

“I say triple the price of cigarettes (more tax revenue please) AND ban smoking everywhere except at home (assuming no one under 18 lived there…)”

Motion seconded!

My step-daughter goes to Copeland college. Apparently, according to her, everybody smokes in the open regardless of age. I went there to pick her up one day and sure enough she was right. I pointed at a couple of girls smoking and she said they were only 16. I saw at least two staff members walk past and do nothing.
Not much point in legislating things if nobody gives a crap.

Hi – –
Yep Should have happened years ago 🙂
Schools are educational institutions that should be setting an example of how NOT to kill yourself.
Allowing staff and “18 year olds” to smoke can be construed as tacit approval, this sends the wrong message.
Sure it is outside – AND?- Why does that make it better? You walk past and carcinogenic/cytotoxic compounds are still available to breath in –
School grounds are frequented by… CHILDREN…. and they should not be exposed to this disgusting, health destroying habit in the school area.
Let them get it at home like everyone else 😛

I say triple the price of cigarettes (more tax revenue please) AND ban smoking everywhere except at home (assuming no one under 18 lived there…)

That is all 🙂

nice. P1,
it was actually outside somewhere, but there could have been more in the teachers’ lounge I guess.
Im sure that would be an interesting position for Ms Dunne and her political party, bong rooms for teachers to avoid cigarette smoking and to aid in relieving pressures of the job, leading to :
really chilled out teachers,
an influx of keen teachers to the ACT, and…well, there just isnt the comparative data to extrapolate to possible learning outcomes for students in the bong smoking teachers lounge schools, time for a bold experiment in the ACT?

I think that this Liberal Vicki Dunne says some teachers need to smoke to reduce stress… and this …the 1st thing i found lying about was a bong… may be related.

I remember coming from a Victorian school that banned students from smoking to an ACT school. the 1st thing i found lying about was a bong.
“things are different here I guess” I thunk.

Nice plattitude snahon. Civil responsibilites where? If they’re not smoking inside and they’re of legal age – where’s the problem?

I’m sure that 18 yr olds give the odd durrie to the underage kids – but banning the cigs in colleges would have very little influence on that, IMO.

Snahons_scv6_berlina10:16 am 26 Jun 07

With civil liberties comes civil obligations AD.

Absent Diane8:55 am 26 Jun 07

yet another breach of civil liberties.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.