Kinder smokers are told to quit puffing

By Melissa Grant
A PAKENHAM woman is fed up with high school students smoking near her son’s kindergarten.
Pauline Maat says students at Pakenham Secondary College are still smoking near the Andrews Community Kindergarten’s fence, despite first complaining about the situation over a year ago.
She said her 19-month-old son Ben, who has oesophageal atresia, was at risk from the second-hand smoke when he visited the kindergarten at drop-off and pick-up times.
Oesophageal atresia is a condition where the oesophagus isn’t properly connected to the stomach at birth.
Ms Maat said her son had problems with his airways and was also concerned about the effect the smoke would have on other children at the kindergarten.
“I’m concerned about my kid’s lungs and the other kids’ lungs, too,” she said.
“Why should these children suffer from second-hand smoke?
“They’ve (high school students) got to be a little more aware of what they’re doing.”
Pakenham Secondary School acting principal Emanuel Merambeliotis said the school was working hard to stop students smoking near the boundary.
Mr Merambeliotis said students had been told not to smoke there and teachers had stepped up patrols near the kindergarten. “We’ve addressed it with the kids and we are patrolling the area… if the kids get caught then we’ll follow it through,” he said.
Mr Merambeliotis said it was difficult to eradicate the problem as students from other schools and members of the public were also smoking near the kindergarten.
“It’s difficult for me because if it’s a member of the public on public space I can only ask them to leave,” he said.
Mr Merambeliotis said the school was committed to tackling the problem of teenage smoking and recently held MAD week where students were taught about the dangers of smoking and other risky behaviour.