Haverford Township School District’s Policy Committee on May 15 reviewed a proposed consolidated tobacco products policy that modernizes older language to include electronic cigarettes, vaping products and branded devices while also flagging where the Medical Marijuana Act intersects with school rules.

Committee members said the draft updates were timely — the existing text dated to the 1990s — but asked staff to cleanly separate student provisions from employee provisions and to add explicit language exempting prescribed inhalers and similar medical devices.

Justin, staff member, said the PSBA model policy recently updated its recommended language and that the administrative regulation currently mixes student and staff guidance. “We’re going to clean that up,” Justin said.

Why it matters: the draft affects employee conduct and school property rules for tobacco, vaping and related products, and it must align with medical‑marijuana guidance and student policies.

Key committee points
- Scope and definitions: Members flagged the policy’s broad definition of tobacco products to include “any electronic device that delivers nicotine or another substance” and asked staff to ensure that medically prescribed inhalers and EpiPens are excluded. One committee member suggested adding a short phrase: “medically prescribed inhalers shall not be included.”
- Medical marijuana: The draft references the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act and Department of Health guidance that prohibits student possession of medical marijuana on school property; the committee asked staff to separate that student‑focused guidance from the employee policy text and to add a cross‑reference under legal citations to the district’s controlled‑substances and drug‑free workplace policy.
- Brand references and clarity: Committee members questioned naming brands in the policy and suggested using generic language (for example, “electronic nicotine delivery systems”) while preserving examples to guide enforcement.

Direction to staff and next steps
- Staff were asked to: (1) remove student‑specific language from the employee policy and place it in the appropriate student policy or AR; (2) add an explicit exclusion for medically prescribed inhalers and other legitimate medical devices; (3) check PSBA updated model language and adjust brand references to generic terms; and (4) add a legal cross‑reference to the district’s drug‑free workplace policy. The committee indicated the policy could move toward a first reading once those edits are made.

Ending: The committee moved forward on modernizing the tobacco policy but left the draft open for edits that clarify medical exceptions and separate student and employee provisions.