Hudson Valley Student Support Services Center in collaboration with the New York State School Policy Partnership today unveiled its “We’re Watching” ad campaign promoting strong enforcement of comprehensive tobacco-free policies by schools and school districts throughout New York State. The multi-media ad campaign specifically calls upon principals, assistant principals and superintendents to “send the right message” to students, many of whom report seeing smoking on school grounds despite existing policies prohibiting tobacco use.

“When students see tobacco use at school, they get the message that tobacco use is a normal, socially acceptable behavior,” said Checko Miller, Tobacco Policy Coordinator for Hudson Valley Student Support Services Center in New Paltz. “The more effective we are at creating truly tobacco-free environments for young people, the better they are able to resist pressure to use tobacco.” Most schools in Ulster have some kind of no-tobacco use policy, according to Mr. Miller, but some policies need to be updated to current laws or could be more comprehensive.

A 2006 survey by the New York State Department of Health found that two-thirds of high school students in New York State reported seeing other students smoking on school grounds in the previous month and 40% reported seeing adults smoking at school. Federal health officials recommend implementation of comprehensive tobacco-free school policies as a top strategy for reducing adolescent tobacco use.

“Ninety percent of smokers start before the age of 18,” Miller pointed out. “When school administrators take a strong stand against tobacco use, it has a real impact on students at a time when they’re most likely to acquire what could be a lifelong addiction.” Research has found that schools which enforce strong tobacco-free policies have lower student smoking rates, less absenteeism, and higher academic achievement.

The “We’re Watching” campaign ads will be featured in professional education publications such as The School Administrator, EdWeek, and Principal Leadership, as well as on popular education websites. In addition, Hudson Valley Student Support Services Center staff will be distributing materials in Ulster County. “We hope this campaign will drive home the importance of enforcing tobacco-free policies and inform administrators about the free assistance we can provide to help their schools become tobacco-free,” added Miller, who helps local schools with everything from sample policies to free signage.

The campaign was created by Better World Advertising for the New York State Tobacco-Free School Policy Partnership, a network of more than 30 local agencies providing free resources and assistance to administrators to develop, implement and enforce comprehensive tobacco-free school policies. 

To learn more, visit the campaign’s website, www.TobaccoFreePolicy.org.