Politics & Government
Piedmont: Approval Expected Monday For Anti-Tobacco Grant
It is aimed to reduce tobacco use, including vaping, by students.
PIEDMONT, CA — The Piedmont City Council is poised to approve a $391,599 state grant to pay for a "juvenile officer" to help fight tobacco use and vaping by local school students.
The grant, from the California Department of Justice Tobacco Grant, could be formally accepted at the council's regular meeting Monday night.
Piedmont city and schools officials have been talking since February about the grant, and what they and local residents want that money to pay for. Initial talks centered around hiring a school resource officer, whose beat would be the district's middle and high school campuses. Police
departments in many East Bay cities have such officers to help prevent crime that starts with students and otherwise serve as a police presence on campuses.
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But the school resource officer idea generated a lively discussion. Some students, parents and school officials said a uniformed and armed officer at schools could be threatening.
Such an officer, stationed at a school campus, could increase concerns about criminalization of school disciplinary issues, concern over possible targeting of minority students, and the lack of a "health educator" component associated with the anti-smoking mission.
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A modified proposal discussed by the Piedmont Unified School District board in March, for a schools-focused officer based off-campus, was also not popular with much of the community.
The school board on May 8 approved the concept for a "juvenile officer" who would not be based on a school campus and whose mission would be more specific to keeping kids from using tobacco, drugs and alcohol. One part of that officer's mission would be to create a diversion program for young people found to be using tobacco products.
The City Council will also on Monday hold a hearing about the city's 2019-2020 budget, proposed at about $27.37 million, a 5 percent increase from the 2018-2019 budget.
Monday's Piedmont City Council meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, 120 Vista Ave.
— Bay City News