I currently teach high school and I smoke cigarettes. I don't on school grounds. I haven't seen any other teachers smoke yet. I know it's legal but would I wonder how it would be if a student saw me. If they would ever ask why I smoke, I would say, don't ever get started!
We don't have anyone in the building who smokes right now, but the rule is that you have to stay out of sight of students when on school grounds. Otherwise, it doesn't matter. A lot of parents smoke here, so I doubt many kids would care.
It would be an issue if you were smoking in my school. Smoking is actually banned by state statute anywhere on school property. However, what you do on your own time and at other locations is up to you.
There are employers in my area who refuse to hire smokers. There is talk around the public school districts that they may go in the same direction. Employees who presently smoke will be given time to quit and then fired if they don't.
State law in FL - no smoking/vaping on public school grounds. I smoke, and I'd never want a kid to see me smoking at school, even if it were allowed. At other schools I worked at, you could leave on planning or lunch and have a cigarette - usually just a matter of walking around the corner. My current school we aren't allowed, so I wait till the kids leave and go for a ride around the block.
If I was so concerned about people seeing me smoke then I probably would just make sure I didn't do it out in public. Do you really think they'd ask WHY you smoked?
I work with students with addictions, and I can tell you that they are always quick to point out the hypocrisy of teachers who go out for a smoke 3-4 times a day then write them up if they are caught with a cigarette. The teachers only go to the parking lot, but you can smell the smoke on them. I don't smoke, and I can smell the smoke. It must be hard for students who are trying to abstain.
Teachers at my school smoke but can't even do it in the parking lot. They have to drive off campus which I think is how it should be for all school campuses. Don't have time to take a smoke break and drive off campus? Oh well...I barely time time to use the bathroom. Suck it up!
As many schools as I've been at in my day, I've never seen one smoke on school grounds. I can only recall 2 who do & I've seen them smoke off the grounds. It should feel the same way as if students saw one drinking. Sure, it's not good, but if teachers do that on their own time, it's up to them. They shouldn't for their own health, but many do.
The OP is saying that he doesn't smoke on school grounds so I believe he's asking about if a student saw him smoking outside of school in general. Swansong - I'm very surprised it's legal to discriminate against smokers. Smoking is legal so how can employers refuse to hire for doing something legal? I understand that it's a major health concern, but so is obesity and I can't imagine an employer legally able to discriminate against a person for being overweight. Mathman82, I actually wouldn't be surprised at all if a student asked you about the smoking. One time a student saw a soda on my desk that I had for lunch when they came back from their own lunch. I got admonished by the student for drinking soda. LOL. I'm very careful now as to what I leave out. That being said, what you do outside of school should be your own business. If a student sees you and does ask about it, then I think your plan of saying "Don't ever start" is fine.
I'm *pretty* sure they can't discriminate against a smoker after they are hired, as it would be considered an addiction, similar to if a teacher were an alcoholic.
Smoking is an adult behavior. Regardless of other views, it's a personal decision. I wouldn't address it unless asked.
There is no smoking on government property allowed here at all. That includes school grounds. There is currently only one teacher at our school who smokes and all it takes for him is a short stroll to the sidewalk across the street. I don't think students have ever brought it up to him. They all know he does it and it just is what it is.
I couldn't agree more with you! In Colorado an employer can be sued if they are fired because of smoking tobacco. Thank you JerseyGirl
When I was in high school students could smoke right on the steps of the school and teachers had a smoke lounge - this was not that long ago. Today teachers can spread anti LGBT Christian hate messages as school Bible clubs and express their "faith" almost utterly unchallenged Kids can be kicked out as potential shooters for noticing ways that their school is unsafe And Adderall has been almost forced on students by teachers and admins for years - and now this legal meth is the most commonly abused drug on K12 and college campuses I grew up in a family of smokers - I hated it and never smoked or drank my entire life despite much stress and fatigue But it was only after a horrible divorce where life seemed utterly unjust that I decided better smoking than drinking, drugs or worse We put ourselves in a horrible pressure cooker and also do the same to the students in a horrible feedback loop America has huge problems and of course we all see the hypicracy of it - students even more so We have bigger problems than smoking to deal with stress and be calm influences I started smoking to get through a rough patch in my life I did it because I remembered all the people I had known (like my parents) who seemed to always deal with impossible stressors with calm wisdom and kindness - and they did this by taking a quick smoke break at times of crisis Not really a bad way to deal with trouble considering that now people snap and become violent or have affairs with students etc etc But yes - smoking is the ultimate evil
I don't know of any teachers that I work with that smoke. When I was in school, it was huge news when we found out our middle school PE/Health teacher smoked (but we never saw her smoke on school property).
Is that legal? If the teacher is able to do his or work, doesn't need break for smoking, doesn't do it around school, how can they do this?
Smoking is a high-risk behavior for insurance. Because many contracts require that insurance be offered to all employees, it may be hard to cover additional costs for health, life, and other insurances for employees who smoke. It's against the law to discriminate based on any particular illness, but smoking is not an illness, it's a behavior.
Where I work, they gave a 6 month notice that after such and such a date, an employee could no longer smoke anywhere on the grounds. If an employee was still smoking, that employee would have to find the time and way to leave school grounds to do so. No exceptions. I thought giving that much head's up as notice gave people who wanted to try to stop smoking a real chance. Guidance, classes, and support groups were made available to help smokers become nonsmokers, which seemed fair. I believe the rationale came down to setting an example, but was also tied to health insurance issues. This is in the state of NJ.
I don't smoke, but when I was in high school (way back when), we actually had a smoking lounge for STUDENTS right in the school! The only rule was you could only smoke cigarettes or cigars, no weed! You were supposed to be at least 15 to use it, but nobody ever checked or cared. And teachers could not smoke in the classroom or halls, but could in their private offices (like coachs' offices or the music office) or the teachers' lounge. My how times have changed. In the public schools I've worked in you couldn't smoke anyplace on the grounds or in the parking lot. I do remember that at one school I taught at, all the teachers who smoked huddled in the boiler room at lunch time to have a smoke. It wasn't allowed, but nobody said anything, and the exhaust system for the boiler kept the smoke from wafting into other parts of the building.
You also only had to be 13 to have a "card on file" at the local drug store or grocery so that you could purchase cigarettes for your parents. Of course, this meant you could purchase them for yourself, too. The card specified what brand your parent smoked and whether they were filtered, nonfiltered or menthol, so the clerk could make sure you didn't get the wrong kind. Of course, if you really wanted ciggies, you could just go the grocery store and buy them from the cigarette vending machine, regardless of your age. The laundromat had ciggie machines, too. Of course, this was the same era that had Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble doing Winston cigarette commercials. I mean, after all, the Flintstones was sponsored by Winston cigarettes. And women were still encouraged to smoke Salem's "healthful" cigarettes to calm their nerves and keep their figures.
My high school was built in 1969 so a room was designated for smoking right off the bat. I think they did call it the smoking lounge. By the time I got to school it had been turned into the Yearbook Office, It wasn't that big so I'm guessing not too man students could use it at one time.
At the school where I teach, students were only allowed to smoke in the honors bathroom, so it was a privilege. Teachers could smoke in the lounge. Now, no smoking is allowed on campus.
I remember, when I was in high school, staff and students gathered just outside the doors smoking; it was a struggle to get through sometimes. Now, there is no smoking or vaping on school board property.
I live in California so there's no smoking pretty much anywhere. I don't know how many feet from schools, not on the side walk, not anywhere. Of course, I don't smoke so it doesn't bother me.
I am so grateful that the days of the smokers crowding together outside of every exit door are a thing of the past. I don't smoke, and I always felt that I smelled like smoke after running the gauntlet. I might should have more concerns for the smokers, but it just feels like there are so many ways to fight the need to smoke. Having lost my father to lung cancer caused by smoking, I am not very forgiving of the need to smoke.
Teachers smoking is a bit more of a rarity than it use to be. When I went to school, we had teachers who smoked and one sometimes reeked of smoke after coming out of the teacher's lounge. (Yes, it was a different world than it is now.) Myself and others believed smoking was bad for you, and it did bother us a little bit, but overall we liked or disliked our teachers for how they treated us and not by whether they smoked or not. Recently, there was a teacher where I taught who smoked. He did it right before school in his car and he reeked of smoke. The students didn't want to be near him, and many teachers were bothered as well. It didn't help him. Compare that with a different teacher who smoked only on her own after school or when she completely left campus. She didn't have a problem with the students or other teachers. While several of the teachers knew (including me), she never really smelled of smoke.
On a teacher's own time (away from school grounds) it's that person's right to smoke if s/he desires to smoke. I have problems with not hiring smokers. But I do wish to add, cancer is no picnic. My cancer was not from smoking, unless the 2nd hand smoke I experience in my 20's volunteering in youth detention centers affected me, but my own recommendation for everyone would be to reconsider which is most important--smoking or avoiding cancer. Once cancer is in remission, if it goes into remission, depending on the cancer itself, the symptoms after remission can be worse than the symptoms during the cancer itself. And the drugs to combat cancer aren't much fun, either. Here's where my thinking is, I had one of the easiest cancers to deal with, and it has been HORRIBLE!!! and I'm still experiencing severe differences in abilities and times when I can do absolutely nothing but lie down. It's not fun. I'm much better right now than I was even last year, and I'm continually recovering, but at the same time, newer problems pop up. The problems are not limited to the organ that was damaged by the cancer, either. It snowballs into other problems. I have many doctor appointments which I will continue to have probably for the rest of my life. My recommendation, quit. It's the hardest addiction, I understand, to quit, but I'd recommend quitting asap.
A lot of TAs at my school smoke and it's an issue when they "need" to have their breaks at a certain time because they want to smoke. A few would want to go directly after lunch because for some reason smokers need to smoke after eating? I have no idea. Sometimes it was inconvenient for the class so I didn't allow the break (which is at my discretion). One would go Vape in the bathroom (which is not allowed) and her vapor smelled fruity so I guess nobody figured it out.
A separate bathroom for honor students? I mean, I would've been able to use that bathroom....but...still yikes. Anyways, smoking as a privilege.....the 60s man...appalling.
Teachers aides are doing this? I wonder what teachers do that at the school I teach at.....a little scary and sad. Hopefully, no students, as well (I teach in elementary). Actually, when I was sitting on my front porch, I saw an 8-year old walking down the street vaping. What?!!?
Yes, I was told about it after she quit. Otherwise I probably would have mentioned it to a supervisor.
Truthfully, I can't think of why not hiring smokers would be discrimination. Yes, smoking is legal (more or less, every state and locality has their particular rules) but a protected class it is not.
Way back when, when I first started working, people could smoke at their desks in offices. That was awful, but it's just the way it was. Then it came to the point that they had to go outside to a designated area to smoke -- but here is what got me. We both got coffee breaks (business world, not teaching) but then they got additional time several times a day to go out and smoke. Non-smokers didn't get that, and we couldn't take an extra coffee break either. Finally, the work world got smarter and these employees could still take their smoke breaks (because they were nicotine addicts and couldn't work effectively without the smoke break,) BUT that they had to clock out when they left and back in when they returned (there was a security guard so they couldn't get around it.) So they would either get docked pay or they had to stay later (about 45 minutes later) than the non-smokers to get the same hours. That, at least, seemed more fair. Then, even later in time, those of use who were non-smokers got a break on our health-insurance -- which also seemed more fair. I can understand why places don't want to hire smokers, especially when taking breaks isn't conducive to what they are doing for a living.
