The Exeter campus has put a stop to alternative ways of smoking.
During the Tuesday, Sept. 16 Exeter Township School Board voting meeting, the board updated their tobacco use policy to include electronic cigarettes and tobacco-related devices. The district wide tobacco use policy was last updated on April 14, 2011. The policy now includes and defines an electronic cigarette as ‘any oral device that provides a vapor of liquid nicotine, lobelia and or any other substance, and the use of inhalation of which stimulates smoking.’
Students are not permitted to smoke these devices on school property. Fees for students found possessing or using tobacco are charged by their number of offenses. First offense results in a $50 fine, second offense results in a $100 fine and subsequent offenses cost the student to shell out $150 per additional offense.
In addition, the school’s bullying and cyber bullying policy was also updated.
Superintendent Beverly Martin stated she had ‘checked with the solicitor to see if we could expand the language to include language that covers bullying outside of school.’
After Martin researched and spoke with administrators and administrator staff last week, the board has come to the understanding that policy 249 includes bullying outside the school grounds. It was stated at the meeting that the policy conforms with the law and principals feel the policy gives them enough leverage to go after students who bully other students event outside of the school setting.
‘If you look at the definition of bullying it says [just] as strong as it is in the school setting… is that strong for outside the school setting,’ Jon S. Malsneeif, solicitor, said.
The policy clearly states ‘the [school] board prohibits all forms of bullying by district students.’
The complete Exeter Township School District Policy manual is available online at exeter.k12.pa.us.
