Although several students have been reported to police in the week since a get-tough anti-smoking policy went into effect at Howard County schools, many underage smokers say the threat of a civil citation isn't enough to get them to kick the habit.
The school system's new policy -- enacted in response to a state mandate that went into effect in October -- says students under age 18 using or carrying tobacco products will be subject to police citations and could ultimately be expelled after several violations.
The new policy not only will complicate the lives of student smokers, but also county police officers, who have more serious crimes to respond to during school hours.
"It's going to be another drain on our calls for service," said Howard County police Maj. Mark Paterni. "If it's overwhelming, it's going to be difficult. The legislature didn't provide us extra cops to enforce it."
Police and school officials can't say how many Howard students already have been penalized under the new policy because the school system lacks a centralized reporting system. But school administrators have started reporting smokers.
At Hammond High on Thursday, for example, three seniors were reported to police for smoking -- two second-time offenders and a first-time violator.
Principal Marshall Peterson said the students were given juvenile citations, which are recorded by a county juvenile court agency and could result in community-service hours and fines. "There was an element of surprise," Mr. Peterson said. "They thought, 'Are you really serious?' "
But throughout the Howard County schools last week -- in locker rooms, on the sides of schools, in parking lots, bathrooms and other areas in and around schools -- dozens of students could be seen smoking.
In the parking lot of Atholton High School last week, Paul Wolfrey, a 17-year-old junior, says nothing -- not even fear of the police -- will make him skip his lunchtime smoke, part of his 1 1/2 -pack-a-day ritual.
While teachers hustled to monitor students inside, he and three other students huddled between parked trucks, puffing cigarettes during an afternoon lunch period.
"It's not right to deny us smoking," said young Wolfrey, who insisted that his name be used even though he is a juvenile. "If a cop or anybody asks me to stop, I will out of respect. But when they leave, I'll start back up."
School officials and police said that such attitudes will make the policy difficult to enforce.
Atholton High School Principal Roger Plunkett says that "it's tough" monitoring all 1,440 of his students, but he said he's doing it for their own good.
Smoking "is against the law and it violates the rights of others" who don't smoke, Mr. Plunkett said. "A lot of them really want to stop. I can help."
School officials say student smokers who disregard the policy will face stern consequences, even on a first offense.
Under the new rules:
* If a student under 18 is caught smoking, a teacher will order the student to stop smoking and confiscate the cigarettes. Administrators will notify the police by a non-emergency number. Major Paterni said officers will be dispatched to the school and will decide whether to issue a citation or talk with the student's parents.
* A first offense will result in a conference with a school administrator, the student and a parent; for a second offense, five hours of detention; and for a third offense, a five-day suspension. A fourth offense will result in a conference with a student, parent and administrator, cause a 10-day suspension and require the student to receive treatment. The fifth offense could result in a 30-day suspension. Any other violations may cause expulsion.
* Student violators who are 18 will not be referred to police, because state law says it is not illegal for them to have tobacco. But their tobacco will be confiscated if they bring it on school grounds, and they are subject to punishments doled out by the schools.
No exceptions
Daniel Jett, director of county high schools, says there are no exceptions to the new policy. "We want everybody to get the message to not carry tobacco products at all," Mr. Jett said.
All Maryland school systems had to adopt similar policies in the wake of the new state law on under-age smoking.
Baltimore County enacted a policy similar to Howard's in that students caught smoking for the first time are reported to police. Anne Arundel County's policy is a bit more lenient. There, student smokers are reported to the police after the third offense, said Jane Doyle, Anne Arundel's information officer. "Kids are kids," Ms. Doyle said. "We like to give kids fair warning in advance."
School systems throughout Maryland also have set up treatment programs to help smokers.
In Howard County, Associate Superintendent James McGowan
said school officials are offering students several cessation programs, including efforts with the American Cancer Society and Howard County General Hospital.
"It's not like you can just take a cigarette out of their mouth and just say don't do it again," said Susan Cook, Howard County School Board chairwoman.
Howard's first school smoking policy, created in 1971, permitted high school students to smoke in designated areas. By June 1987, schools banned student smoking altogether, Mr. Jett said.
Since that time, there have been 363 suspensions of high school students resulting from students with three violations of the policy. The actual number of violations has been much higher, Mr. Jett said.
Howard school officials say newsletters explaining the new policy have been sent to students' homes, but they suspect that some parents are unaware of the new penalties their children can face. Several principals said all students will be given a copy of the policy to sign and show their parents.
Shift in state law
Howard County PTA officials said the schools need to make it clear that the new policy stems from a shift in state law. "I think we're going to have parents and students totally blindsided on this," said Lynn Benton, president of Howard County's PTA council.
"Some kids are going to do it anyway," she added. "But if we reach some kids with it and make a difference, maybe it's worth it."
Police say they expect some students will not take the policy seriously until officers start cracking down on violators. "When enforcement begins, we will have a high rate of compliance," Major Paterni said. "We don't want confrontations with students, and they don't want them with us."
Some students say they think it's a good idea to try to limit smoking. "It's unhealthy," said Fran Uccellini, 14, a ninth-grader at Oakland Mills High School. "It's not something they need to be doing anyway."
But some students say the policy is unfair. Students argue that they should be able to smoke because some teachers light up during school hours -- even though rules forbid them to smoke on school grounds. Some teachers reek with the smell of smoke as they pass their pupils, the students say.
Two Atholton students, shivering in the the cold behind a graffiti-covered wall during lunchtime last week, say they'll just ignore the policy.
"It's stupid," said a 17-year-old Atholton senior, inhaling one of her Marlboro 100s. "If kids want to smoke, they'll smoke anyway. They're easy to get."
Her 16-year-old friend, a sophomore, planted his sneakers in the cold muddy slope strewn with several discarded cigarette packs and hundreds of butts. "I don't care," he said. "They're not going to stop me. And if parents buy them for you, what can they do?"