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A French Middle/High School that Allows Smoking...
version franaise
While the 21st century has seen a dramatic increase in smokefree environments, a
prominent French public middle/high school remains stuck in the past. "When I
see children smoking at school, I feel like I've stepped into a time warp," says
Joe Cherner, president of SmokeFree Educational Services, Inc.
The Centre International de Valbonne (CIV), one of France's best schools (for
children 10-18 years old), has two smoking sections. Both are in VIOLATION of
French law. One smoking section is in front of the children's library. The
other is in front of the children's lunch hall. Children who don't smoke
actually have to pass through the smoking sections to enter the library and the
lunch room. The school claims that no parent has ever complained.
"I requested a meeting with the principal to discuss the smoking problem," says
Cherner, whose children attend the school, "but he refused. I asked if I could
send a letter, but his secretary told me not to, adding that it wouldn't do any
good."
"How can the school pretend that parents haven't complained when it won't even
meet with a parent?" asks Cherner. "As for discouraging letters, I've never
encountered that from a public entity before."
If you would like to send a letter to the CIV, go to
http://www.smokefree.net/CIV. Your letter will be automatically faxed and
emailed to the school, as well as to the board of education and the ministry of
health.
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