P2B371: A Framework to Increase Equity and Decrease Commercial Tobacco Use in Schools

Background: Schools continue to face challenges around successfully addressing tobacco use and vaping with students and staff. According to the CDC, 1 in 5 high school students and 1 in 20 middle school students use e-cigarettes. In 2018, the U.S. Surgeon General declared youth e-cigarette use an epidemic. It is important to approach this as a public health issue in which students, families/caregivers, and staff should be provided with tobacco education and cessation support. To address this, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, American Heart Association, and Public Health Law Center partnered together to create the Tobacco-Free District Model Policy.

Methods: The model policy guidance (housed in Healthier Generation’s Action Center) provides an equity-informed, comprehensive tobacco-free schools framework, including recommendations for administrative regulations (or procedures) and codes of conduct.  Most innovative in the policy is the inclusion of supportive disciplinary practices for students who violate the policy. Exclusionary discipline, such as suspension or expulsion, does not reduce tobacco usage in students, and disproportionately impacts BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) students. Within the Action Center, schools and districts also have access to our Thriving Schools Integrated Assessment (TSIA). The TSIA is an evidence-based self-assessment tool to support districts and schools in identifying strengths and opportunities for improvement regarding policies and practices that promote student achievement and the well-being of students, staff, and teachers.

Results: The Tobacco-Free District Model Policy has been accessed through Healthier Generation’s Action Center 265 times since it was developed. Schools and districts have also utilized our interactive Policy Builder and associated microlearning to foster tobacco-free environments and thus improved health and learning among students and staff. In 2022, Healthier Generation awarded 192 schools as America’s Healthiest Schools in the TSIA topic area of “Promoting Tobacco-Free Schools,” which recognizes schools for fostering a tobacco-free learning environment through implementation of a district tobacco-free policy.

Conclusion: By implementing this model policy (which is inclusive of supportive disciplinary practices), districts support primary prevention through education, promote equity, and support recovery from tobacco addiction while giving students tools to resist the peer pressure to use tobacco products. The Tobacco-Free District Model Policy promotes education, equity, support, and recovery. Schools and districts can further their anti-tobacco work by accessing Healthier Generation’s Action Center as well as applying to be one of America’s Healthiest Schools. Additional resources are available through Healthier Generation’s Tobacco Hub. Current tobacco resources in development include a model policy implementation checklist, resource map, youth engagement guide, and community partnership toolkit. Partnerships with local pediatricians, community organizations, and other providers are crucial for tobacco cessation and support.