Last year two students from Roswell High School, Kevin Pulido, 15, and Adrian Rodriguez, 15, approached the local school board to ask them to update the district’s tobacco policy. On December 12th the Roswell Independent School District’s (RISD) School Board voted to adopt the first comprehensive tobacco-free school policy in the state. “We are happy to make these updates so that our students, staff, and visitors can participate in activities sponsored by our school in the healthiest environment possible,“ says Harry Tackett, RISD Assistant Superintendent of Instruction. “Having a tobacco-free environment is an essential part of a positive educational environment.”
“Working with the School Board has been a lot of fun,“ says Pulido. “They heard us speak out, and made it a very positive experience for us. We feel very proud of the work we’ve done to make our schools tobacco-free.” The youth are members of the Department of Health’s statewide youth movement called Evolvement, which works on health campaigns including 24/7.
The 24/7 campaign partners with school districts to help them update their tobacco policies to meet the Department of Health’s comprehensive standard, which is more stringent than the state of New Mexico’s law requires. By this standard, the definition of tobacco products must include e-cigarettes and nicotine liquid containers, and the policy must apply to students, staff, and visitors at all school property owned, leased, or rented by the district as well as all school-sponsored activities whether on- or –off site. “The concept is simple,” says 24/7 campaign manager Ashley Wagner, “in a truly tobacco-free school environment, tobacco should not be used by anyone, anywhere, at anytime.”
“It’s so inspiring to see local youth speaking out about issues that are important to them,” says Mona Kirk, RISD School Board President. “We were excited to respond to their request and partner with them through the 24/7 campaign to update this policy.”
To help promote its new comprehensive policy, Roswell will be receiving free resources for all schools in the district from the 24/7 campaign, including free, bilingual tobacco-free signs for all school buildings and grounds. “The signs we are receiving are a valuable tool in communicating and enforcing this new policy at all of our schools and school-sponsored events,” says Brian Byrd, RISD Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources. Other free resources include bilingual announcements, faculty training, and pre-written staff memos and parent letters explaining the policy.
“Roswell is a model for school districts across New Mexico that want to hold themselves to the highest standards of health in their schools,” says Maegan Sanders, Southeast Region TUPAC Coordinator. “We will continue to partner with districts across the state through the 24/7 campaign to encourage similar measures being passed in communities statewide.”
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