| Children who smell of smoke face
suspension |
A school in Massachusetts is threatening to suspend children who smell
like cigarettes.
Jane Modoono, headteacher at Hopkinton High School, says normal
punishments like fines and lectures about health are proving
ineffective.
Now children caught holding a cigarette or smelling of smoke could face
a five-day suspension.
''We want to send a strong message that students cannot smoke,'' Ms
Modoono said.
Two staff members must confirm the child smells of smoke. And Ms
Modoono said it was easy to tell if someone had been smoking or had simply
been standing near a smoker.
Hopkinton High School is due to move to a new site in the autumn which
is designed to stop smoking.
There are no doors into the toilet area. Instead a screen provides
privacy but lets incriminating smoke drift out into corridors.
''Our intent is not to cause the kids to fail or drop out of school,''
Ms Modoono said. ''We need to give kids the support they need and the
message that they shouldn't be smoking in school.''
Story filed: 19:30 Monday 2nd July
2001
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