Qld special school Arethusa College allows students to take smoke, vaping breaks

An Australian school is allowing students of all ages to take smoking and vaping breaks, despite teachers raising grave health concerns.

A Queensland Health spokesman says the department had engaged with the school.

A Queensland special school allows students of all ages to take smoking and vaping breaks, former staff say, in a tactic said to be aimed at reducing the children’s stress and disruptive behaviour.

It is understood the policy has been in effect for at least two years at Arethusa College at Deception Bay and was brought in despite staff raising student health concerns when it was proposed.

Students have a designated smoking area and, according to former staff and current parents, while the college seeks permission from students’ parents for their child to have smoking breaks, one guardian said they made it clear they did not want their child smoking at school but the college allowed it anyway.

Arethusa College’s Deception Bay campus.

Arethusa College executive principal Lisa Coles said the school had “never been found in breach of our legislative duties”.

“We have been open and transparent with public health authorities,” she said.

Ms Coles said the school’s approach “centres on achieving the dual goals of supporting highly vulnerable young people to attend and complete school while also educating them about how to make healthy life choices and lead addiction-free lives”.

“We have seen the majority of young people who come to us with a nicotine dependency leave our College without one,” she said.

It is illegal to supply cigarettes or e-cigarettes to anyone under 18. The law also requires that public places, including all public and private education facilities, be smoke-free.

It is not suggested that the school is providing any smoking products to any students.

A former Arethusa support worker described a regularly updated list of students allowed to take smoking breaks.

They said the college’s approach was “if they (particular students) are triggered, let them go and have a smoke”.

The former staffer said the smoking list exceeded 50 students, with the youngest at one time being a Year 7 student. Vaping was also allowed.

A current Arethusa parent said they were told about the college’s “designated smoking area” behind some buildings near a staff carpark during introductory meetings.

The parent said they told the college they did not want their child smoking cigarettes, but claimed it happened anyway and their child was now vaping.

“They (the college) said they (students) are going to do it anyway, so they would rather they do it in a designated area where they are safe and supervised,” the parent said.

Another former support staffer said the smoking break policy was counter-productive.

Ms Coles said the school took a transparent approach to smoking or vaping dependency without judgment.

She said the college prioritised “addressing and reducing student nicotine dependency with a rigorous education program” and worked closely with students, families and doctors.

A Queensland Health spokesman said the Metro North Public Health Unit had “engaged with the school on regulatory compliance and offered assistance in terms of resources for the school community”.

Originally published as Qld special school Arethusa College allows students to take smoke, vaping breaks