'SMOKE PITS' TO BE ELIMINATED

SAY GOODBYE to the high school smoke pit, the refuge of rebellious,
cigarette-puffing teens since the dawn of cool.

The Coast Mountains School District is poised to enact a sweeping new
policy that will establish no-smoking zones around schools.

Those would extend from a minimum of 50 metres around school properties to
as far as several blocks away, meaning scenes of teens huddled on public
sidewalks as they puff away within sight of their school will become a
thing of the past.

The proposed policy would also see a blanket ban on tobacco use that would
extend to all school district property, buildings, and vehicles. Earlier
this month, school trustees gave first reading to three draft policies that
will have a direct impact on student life.

Along with the smoking ban, students can also expect random locker searches
conducted with drug-sniffing dogs, a process outlined in the district's
draft policy on illegal drugs.

Currently, drug searches of students or their lockers must be justified on
reasonable grounds.

Under the proposed illegal drug policy, school lockers would be subject to
random searches at any time.

Drug-sniffing dogs could also be brought in to conduct hallway sweeps and
locker searches

The district also wants to ban cellphones and other digital devices from
locker rooms, washrooms and other places where they could be used to invade
the privacy of other students.

Modern camera-phones - cellphones capable of taking photos - can now be
slipped underneath a neighbouring bathroom stall in order to embarrass
another student.

"This is the age we live in," board chair Lorrie Gowen said.

"You have text messaging," she added. "When one class is sitting writing an
exam, you can send a text message to a friend coming in the next block."

Students violating the policy would have their phones or pagers
confiscated, and would only get them back after a meeting with their
parents and school officials.

The three draft policies will return to the school board on March 11, after
circulating among employee, school and parent groups.

Under the proposed policy on tobacco use, no student, employee, or visitor
would be able to smoke on school district property, or in vehicles, or
buildings.

Students caught violating the policy would be subject to a range of
unspecified and progressive disciplinary measures, and anyone else could
pay a $50 fine.

Recreational or community user groups could see their school use privileges
revoked.

High school principals may be able to seek a variance on the 50-metre
minimum for smoke free zones, but only in extraordinary circumstances such
as student safety and after extensive consultations, the proposed policy says.

The district is also creating a new ad hoc committee on health.

"The idea is we've got a serious problem with obesity with our young
people, we've got a serious problem with drugs and we've got a serious
problem with smoking," Terrace trustee Hal Stedham said.

Policies on vandalism and healthy schools are also in the works.