To Prohibit The Possession Of Tobacco, Tobacco Products, And E-cigarettes By Students; And To Require The Parent Of A Student Who Uses, Possesses, Or Smokes Tobacco, Tobacco Products, Or E-cigarettes To Pay A Fine.
Summary
HB1192 would expand Arkansas’s public-school tobacco restrictions by expressly prohibiting students from possessing tobacco, tobacco products, or e-cigarettes on public school property, including school buses and property owned or leased by public school districts and open-enrollment public charter schools. The bill updates the existing school tobacco/vaping prohibition to cover both use and possession, and it applies to all public school settings covered by the statute.
The bill also creates a new parent- or guardian-liability provision. If a student is found to have violated the school tobacco/e-cigarette ban, the student’s parent, legal guardian, or person standing in loco parentis would be fined $100 for a first offense, $500 for a second offense, and $1,000 for a third or subsequent offense. Any fines collected would be remitted by the school district or charter school to the local police department in the city or town where the school is located.
Impact
HB1192 would amend Arkansas Code § 6-21-609, strengthening school-based tobacco enforcement by adding possession to the list of prohibited conduct and by imposing a civil fine structure on parents, guardians, or persons in loco parentis. The bill would affect public school districts and open-enrollment public charter schools, as well as students and their families, and would require schools to collect and transfer fines to local police departments.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of committee testimony or recorded votes in the provided materials, the measure appears to be framed as a school-discipline and youth-nicotine-control proposal rather than a broadly controversial policy. The caption and structure suggest a punitive approach aimed at reducing student tobacco and vaping use on campus, with no recorded public debate available here to indicate organized support or opposition.
Contention
The main point of contention likely centers on the parent-fine provision, which shifts financial responsibility from the student to the family and could be viewed as either a deterrent or an unfair penalty on parents for a child’s conduct. Another likely issue is enforcement: schools would have to determine when a student has “violated this section,” collect fines, and coordinate with local police departments, raising questions about due process, administrative burden, and whether the policy disproportionately affects families of students who repeatedly violate the rule.