Goodrich-Goodrich Area Schools are now a smoke-free zone.
At the Jan. 22 meeting of the Goodrich Area School’s Board of Education, trustees voted to ban smoking on school property.
Superintendent Kimberly Hart said the schools previously allowed smoking on the premises after 6 p.m. on weekdays and any time on weekends.
Hart said the time had come for the ban on smoking.
‘We were one of only three school districts in the county that were allowing that,? said Hart.
Hart added she believes the reason smoking was allowed at the designated times on school grounds was because it’s a difficult rule to enforce at those times. However, Hart said the increasing number of places that don’t allow smoking have made the concept more publicly acceptable and an easier issue to allow people to self-police.
No one , said Hart, has complained about the ban so far.
‘It’s the right time,? said Hart, ‘anything we can do to protect the health of staff, students and community members from smoke, and prevent the mess it leaves… is beneficial.?