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The school believes that it helps students who are addicted to cigarettes to manage their stress and control violent tendencies.
The school justifies the act by saying that students who are addicted to smoking may smoke secretly or skip school due to their addiction. (News18 Hindi)
School is a place where a better life is shaped for students. It is the responsibility of teachers and the school administration to provide students with an environment that helps them become better individuals and stay away from bad habits. However, a school in Australia presents a different case, which may surprise you. Last year, a campus of Arethusa College in Queensland made headlines for allowing students to take smoking breaks.
According to a 2023 report by the news website Daily Mail, the school administration permits students to smoke cigarettes at the Deception Bay campus of Arethusa College. The report states that around 50 students smoke in a designated smoking zone created within the school. The college claims that they first obtain permission from the parents of students, but a parent, speaking to The Sunday Mail, mentioned that despite refusing, their child was still allowed to smoke.
The school justifies the act by saying that students who are addicted to smoking may smoke secretly or skip school due to their addiction. This, they argue, could negatively impact their education. To address the issue, the school has created a designated smoking area on campus, where students can smoke in a safe, supervised environment. The school believes the main reason behind implementing such rules is that students who are addicted to cigarettes can manage their stress and control their violent tendencies.
The school administration mentioned that they have been transparent with investigating agencies and medical authorities about their policy, openly sharing it with everyone. However, some parents have expressed concern. One parent complained that the environment led their child to start smoking.
Arethusa College is an independent school, which for many years has provided academic and vocational education to children aged 7-12 who struggle to fit into the mainstream education system.
