ANAHEIM : Smoking at School Bingo to Be Allowed Until July

The Anaheim Union High School District Board of Trustees has decided to allow smoking at bingo games until July, when state regulations will bar smoking at all school facilities.

Members of the Katella High School booster club, which sponsors bingo at that school, asked the board to waive the smoking restriction that is based on a new federal regulation that took effect Jan. 1. The club told the district that other school districts are permitting limited smoking at their bingo games.

Officials in other county districts have relied on an opinion written by the county Department of Education, which concludes that the federal requirement that schools be smoke-free applies only to hours when the schools are in operation, not when the facilities are being used by outside organizations.

Boosters at Katella said that bingo games where smoking is continuing are taking customers away from Katella’s games. The boosters asked the board at its Jan 19. meeting to allow smoking until July.

Trustees had been reluctant to do so until they were certain the move would not trigger fines or jeopardize $3 million in funding from federal grants, which are contingent on the district observing federal rules.

Approval came at the Jan. 26 meeting.

Boosters estimate that banning smoking at bingo games would reduce revenue by about $100,000.