Editor,—In 1993, the Chautauqua county department of health conducted an inquiry regarding public complaints that Dunkirk High School was not effectively addressing the problem of student smoking on school property. Discipline records indicated that 35 students had been caught smoking between November 1989 and November 1993, with the students receiving penalties ranging from in-school suspension to out-of-school suspension for repeated violations. Because many students were repeat violators, it became clear that the penalties imposed did not deter students from smoking on school property. Alternatives to suspension needed to be considered if student …