Beaumont Unified Awarded State Grant for Anti-Tobacco Campaign

Beaumont Unified School District was one of six Riverside County school districts to receive state funds Monday aimed at enforcing tobacco-free school policies, it was announced.

Statewide, a total $410,826 was distributed to 30 school districts.  The grantees were selected based on their proven commitment to tobacco-use prevention efforts, “and proposed programs that will likely be effective,” according to the California Department of Education.

Beaumont will receive a $4,494 chunk of the pie. 

The school districts in the county who also received $4,500 grants included:

• Beaumont Unified School District
• Jurupa Unified School District
• Nuview Union School District
• Romoland School District
• Lake Elsinore Unified School District
• Val Verde Unified School District

“Schools can help our kids learn to avoid dangerous behaviors—including tobacco use—early,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson. “Part of my goal when I started my Team California for Healthy Kids initiative was to get kids active and healthy because this will help them learn and become more successful later in life.”

The grants awarded Monday are all part of a larger, $16.5 million competitive state grant called TUPE, or tobacco use prevention education, for students in grades six through twelve.  Monday represented the first phase of funding, the Department of Education said.

City News Service contributed to this report.