Students speak against smoke shops near schools at City Hall

By: Ayla Ozturk

At a City Council Meeting on November 15th, VUSD student advocates from the H.E.A.L Project [Healing, Equity, Advocacy, Leadership] and Asian Pacific Islander Partners and Advocates Countering Tobacco [API PACT] voiced their concerns on smoke shop city policy.  

The H.E.A.L Project and API PACT are two non-profit organizations dedicated to listening and educating youth about issues in the community. They also teach students how to exercise their voices to enact change. 

A smoke shop opened 400 feet from Houston Elementary School earlier this year. This raised concern amongst the student population, as nicotine and tobacco are significant issues within the youth demographic. 

The members of the organization are trying to push a policy that will require a 1000-foot distance between all tobacco/substance retailers and schools, churches, and areas where youth gather.  

It is hoped that this policy will lessen the chances of young people developing an addiction because of easy access to substances. 

Maria Hernandez-Aceves, class of 2022, spoke at the meeting with other students in the organization. She joined around a year ago during her junior year. She says that it is an exciting experience, and everyone is “so welcoming and nice”. 

Hernandez-Aceves mentions that she was really nervous to be speaking and stuttered a little, but she felt “really empowered” speaking on an important topic, especially at a young age. 

She has seen the effects of nicotine in many aspects of her life.

Knowing that it would affect future generations, she felt encouraged to prevent it. 

“I think it’s great that city hall is taking into consideration youth and it’s teaching us the importance of our voices.” Hernandez-Aceves says. She then cites: 

“We don’t know what the future holds, but we do know who holds it.”

-Martin Luther King Jr

She continues, “I definitely encourage more youth to join, and last night [11/15/21] was an example of the things we do when we get together to make change.” 

Yhencey Labasan, class of 2022, attends Mount Whitney High School. He heard of the organization while attending a beat-making class. 

Labasan expresses, “I found a place full of welcoming people and it just so happened that mine and the organizations’ interests were pretty similar.” 

His motivation for speaking up comes from personal experience. Seeing family members go young and strained relationships with family due to smoking gives him a unique perspective.

“I do this cause I don’t want anyone to feel what I felt.” he states. 

When it was time for him to speak, Labasan says he was “nervous” and stuttering his words while his heart was “beating out of [his] chest”. 

At the same time, he felt amazing, he expresses that he was “facing the music and breaking out of [his] shell”. 

He says, “Even if it was a little nerve-wracking in the moment, it was worth doing. Now I have experience and it [speaking] won’t be scary for next time.” 

Labasan feels his voice was heard, as the city council members were on the same page as the students. 

Jasmine Luna, class of 2022, is an active member of both organizations. She joined the H.E.A.L Project in the Summer of 2020 and API PACT that Winter.  

She felt joyful and excited leading up to speaking at the meeting.

Luna expresses, “Using my voice to enact change makes me feel so proud at how far I have come not only as a student advocate but as a first-generation Latina.” 

Wondering why there was not already a policy, Luna has spoken about the issue two times before this. Thanks to her, the city council started considering zoning possibilities.  

She remembers being the only person under 18 years old at the meeting she went to in May 2021. At another in June, more youth showed up.  

Walking by Houston Elementary and the smoke shop every morning, Luna says it is a “sad sight” to see the shop appeal to the “innocent eyes of children”. 

The fact that students are smoking and/or vaping in the bathroom and setting off fire alarms both accidentally and purposely pushed her to speak on the matter as well. 

She says, “[The above fact is] leading to unnecessary loss of instructional time for all teachers as well as in loss of time for students to learn in school, especially considering that High School is what will prepare us for our futures.”  

She was nervous at first, but after seeing the council members listen to what she was saying and start to consider the zoning policy, she felt more confident.  

“I had the power and perfect opportunity to speak up. I didn’t want to just waste my potential and not speak for an issue that I’m passionate about amplifying until council adopts our policy.” she states. 

Visalia Unified School District [VUSD] Administrator of Equity and Student Services Bradon Gridiron holds four equity meetings per year where the students of VUSD can voice their opinions on important topics. 

As someone who encourages the youth voice, Gridiron feels it is incredible to see students use it.

Gridiron states, “Student civic engagement is a fundamental part of public education and should be an integral part of our student’s educational experience. When our students can learn how to engage in civil discourse on controversial and critical issues, they learn valuable skills that allow them to uphold our democratic values in pursuit of liberty and justice for all.”

Students partaking in said engagement benefits their education by developing student agency, which allows students to have a voice in how they learn and teaches them how to communicate with teachers and school administrators.

On November 12th, 2021, Gridiron sent a letter to City Council regarding their approval of a smoke shop just 400 feet away from Houston Elementary School.

According to the letter, vape-related incidents are the number one causation of high school suspensions.

Learning is VUSD’s top priority. The concerning trend interferes not only with students’ education but with school climate and culture as well.

Vaping/tobacco use has also most likely interfered with the trajectory of students’ futures as well.

In the 20218-2019 school year, VUSD launched a Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco-Free Initiative, emphasizing Vape Prevention in particular.

VUSD’s Vape Prevention and Education Campaign entails parent education, student prevention, intervention, and campus-use suppression.

Smoke shops near schools not only impact the district’s efforts to prevent student substance use but also allow for additional exposure to harmful substances during some of the youngest students’ most formative years of life.

According to Gridiron, Big Tobacco strategically targets students through “loud, catchy and colorful” advertising. In addition, vapes are flavored with cotton candy, bubblegum, and many others that appeal to youth.

The more children and teenagers see this advertising, the more likely they are to try and inevitably get addicted to nicotine and other substances.

“This type of exposure dramatically increases a student’s likelihood to engage in these harmful substances at a much younger age.” Gridiron expresses.

The main goal is to reduce students’ exposure, interest, and use of these products. However, there is only so much the district can do.

Gridiron expresses, “We know that this fight cannot be done alone. It is going to take a community response to truly curve the negative trend of vape use among our youth, and we ask for your [city council’s] help.”

The conclusion of the letter reads:

“Therefore, I respectfully ask you to reconsider your decision or at least bring it forward for a revote at your next City Council meeting when all City Council Members are present. In addition, we are willing to prepare a presentation to the City Council on the negative impacts that having a smoke shop near Houston Elementary will have on our students and community. Again, I implore you to reconsider your decision and consider the impact this resolution will have on our youth and our community.”

-Gridiron 11/12/21

With Gridiron’s letter and the powerful voice of students, Visalia City Council is considering a 1000 foot zoning policy. This will drastically reduce exposure to tobacco, vapes, and other substances.

Tags: api pact, API-PACT, apipact, brandon gridiron, city council, city hall, equity, HEAL, heal project, jasmine luna, maria hernandez-aceves, rangers, Redwood, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood journalism, redwood rangers, rhs, smoke shops, student voices, tobacco, vaping, visalia ca, visalia city council, vusd, vusd equity, yhency labasan