The state school board says smoking should be banned not only inside Ohio school buildings but also on surrounding school property.
The Ohio Board of Education voted unanimously in favor of tobacco-free school campuses, including parking lots and athletic facilities. The recommendation approved earlier this month is just that: a recommendation that school systems may adopt or reject. It covers not only smoking but also smokeless tobacco.
State law prohibits smoking within school walls but doesn't allow the school board to impose a statewide ban on smoking around school buildings.
The Columbus Dispatch reports the board was pushed to make the recommendation by a group that got a similar policy adopted in central Ohio's Delaware County.