For Kent City Schools, tobacco-free campus policies get top marks for supporting overall well-being, boosting productivity, and cutting costs.

At Kent City Schools, students are learning more than reading, writing, and arithmetic. They're learning to make healthy lifestyle choices, thanks in part to a tobacco-free policy that prohibits tobacco use on all school district property.

The focus on tobacco use began in 1999 when a stricter penalty was imposed on any student caught smoking at Theodore Roosevelt High School. Parents supported the policy and encouraged the school district to take things a step further. Soon, smoking by anyone-student or staff-was prohibited in school buildings. And by 2004, smoking was prohibited on school district property, including sports fields and parking lots.

"As educators, we need to be setting the example," says Roger Sidoti, Principal at Theodore Roosevelt High School. "Understanding the value of good health and well-being is as important to a quality education as academics, and we make health a top priority here."

In 2006, the district received the Buckeye Best Healthy School Program Gold Award for its efforts to raise health awareness among both students and staff. Along with healthier people, the school district experienced a healthier bottom line, too.

"Providing a smoke-free environment is obviously an important step for any healthy school," says Sidoti. "And it's a smart decision all around. I believe our policy is one of the reasons why we have such excellent attendance among our staff. We've improved productivity by reducing the number of days employees are out sick, and we've been able to lower our health insurance premiums, too."

For more information about Kent City School's tobacco-free policy and how to make your school district healthier and more productive, contact Roger Sidoti at ke_rsidoti@kentschools.net.

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