BOE: Baseball Fields Create Safe Haven for Student Smokers

Smoking may be a no-no on school property, but township-owned baseball fields across the street from Brick Memorial High School are providing a safe haven for students to skirt the rules, officials have said.

During a discussion last week of a potential that could be adopted for the school district, Board of Education members took aim at the Brick American Little League baseball fields across the street from the high school, on Lanes Mill Road, and said something needs to be done.

"It's just unbelievable, the number of kids on the other side of the street, who are smoking and God knows what else," said John Talty, the board's vice president.

For now, there isn't much the school district can do to snuff out the tobacco use across the street from the school, officials said. Superintendent Walter Hrycenko said there is a provision in state law that allows school districts to enforce rules on properties that aren't own by the school district, however those places must be used exclusively by the district, which the fields are not.

"Perhaps we could ask the owner of the property … to have them contact the police and ask to have trespassing enforced there once again," said James Edwards, the district's business administrator, referring to previous occasions when students were ushered away from the field area.

At the meeting, there was a question as to the fields' owner, but Brick Patch has since confirmed that the fields are township-owned, and there is signage at the fields that ban smoking.

"The owner of the property would have to request that it be enforced," Edwards said.

Another potential recourse could be to ban smoking during school hours, no matter where the smoking takes place, however that would not prevent students from smoking just before or after school starts and ends.

Board members said they would get in contact with municipal officials to try to work out a solution.

As for the change to the district's smoking policy, which has been under discussion for several months, there was no indication on whether the policy change – which would allow students caught smoking to enter a smoking cessation program funded by Barnabas Health instead of serving an in-school suspension – would pass if it comes up for a vote at the board's regular meeting this Thursday. Some board members have raised questions as to whether the option to enter the program removes a disciplinary component as a consequence to breaking a school rule. Others have questioned what would happen if Barnabas Health stops funding the program in the future.

"We're not going to turn our back on you at all," said Connie Greene, director of Barnabas Health's Institute for Prevention, when she addressed board members at a pre-agenda meeting last week.

Greene said smoking cessation sessions would be provided to students caught smoking at no charge, and district staff would be trained to refer students to the program whether they were caught smoking or simply wanted to quit on their own.

"If they are in need of tobacco cessation, we'll provide that for them and there will be no charge," Greene said.