Shaker Heights: One of the 'tobacco-free' school districts

haker Heights City School District has joined "The Movement," a 100 percent tobacco-free initiative for Cuyahoga County school districts.

The Movement is sponsored by the Cuyahoga County Comprehensive Partnership for Tobacco Reduction (The Partnership), and is under the direction of the Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH).

Funded by the Ohio Department of Health, the goal of The Movement is to encourage all 31 school districts within Cuyahoga County to enact a 100 percent tobacco-free policy.

To be considered 100 percent tobacco-free, a school district must prohibit the use of all tobacco products, such as cigarettes, chew, snuff, etc., by everyone (school visitors, faculty, students) on all school grounds, including school events, regardless if they are on school property or away.

With the addition of Shaker Heights, 19 school districts, approximately 61 percent of all the school districts, have such a policy in place and they include:

Bay Village, Beachwood, Bedford, Berea, Brecksville/Broadview Heights, Garfield Heights, Independence, Lakewood, North Royalton, North Olmsted, Olmsted Falls, Orange, Richmond Heights, Rocky River, Solon, South Euclid/Lyndhurst and Westlake.

The remaining 12 school districts that don't have a 100 percent tobacco-free policy are:

Brooklyn, Chagrin Falls, Cleveland Metropolitan, Cleveland Heights/University Heights, Cuyahoga Heights, East Cleveland, Euclid, Fairview Park, Maple Heights, Mayfield, Parma and Strongsville.