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Committee debates designated smoking area at North Transportation Facility
Summary
Policy review committee discussed adding language to the district’s tobacco policy to allow a designated smoking area for non‑students on the North Transportation Facility grounds, citing safety concerns from staff who had been smoking near the roadside when leaving campus.
The Policy Review Committee of the East Stroudsburg Area School District discussed Aug. 18 a proposed change to the district’s tobacco policy to allow a designated smoking area on the grounds of the North Transportation Facility for non‑students.
The lede: Committee members and staff said the change aims to reduce unsafe roadside smoking by staff and other adults who were leaving campus and parking on a nearby road to smoke. Under current practice at the north campus, staff said people who want to smoke often leave district property and, in some cases, park on the side of Bushko Falls Road; committee members expressed concern about the safety of that practice.
Why it matters: The proposed language would allow the district to designate a smoking area that complies with school code minimum distance requirements from student areas and building entrances; staff said the code permits designated areas for adults if they are set back an appropriate distance from students and entrances. Supporters said a designated, physically separated area would keep people off the roadside and reduce crash risk from roadside smoking.
Points raised during discussion - One committee member said they do not condone smoking but prefer a designated on‑site area rather than having adults stop on the roadside, possibly creating traffic hazards. - Other members warned that creating a designated site on one campus could encourage requests to create similar areas at other campuses; the committee discussed potential equity or precedent concerns and noted other buildings may reasonably direct employees to nearby public parking lots or private property to smoke. - Members discussed site options (the back, lehi side of the north lot was mentioned) and emphasized the policy would need to meet statutory distance requirements from student areas.
Outcome The discussion did not record a formal motion to adopt the designated‑area language; the proposed change remained under committee consideration as part of Policy 323 (tobacco and vaping products) and would return to the board as part of the broader policy package and public comment process.
Ending Staff said any final site designation would require checking code distances and likely return to the board with a firm recommendation; the topic was combined with other policy revisions and will be open for public review during the August comment period.
