(Danville, Va.) – The Danville School Board has passed a comprehensive tobacco-free and e-cigarette-free policy for all public schools.

Effective July 1, e-cigarette and smokeless tobacco use will be banned on school property.

School officials say the goal of the new policy is to protect their more than 5,000 students from the harmful influences of tobacco, especially with the growing popularity of e-cigarettes.

The new regulations apply to both students and staff.

The school board partnered with agencies through the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth to revise the current policy.

The school system earlier implemented a non-smoking zone, but the new policy goes a step further to ban the use of electronic smoking devices.