Introduction:
Proper enforcement of the tobacco control law in schools prevents students from smoking. Our study aimed to investigate compliance with tobacco control legislation in Greek schools and teachers’ attitudes towards smoking prevention and tobacco control policies.

Material and Methods:
Twenty-six schools of Athens and Thessaloniki were selected during 2014-2015 school year. An online registration system was created and an electronic questionnaire was used to collect data. A total of 1.032 teachers were enrolled in the study.

Results:
A large proportion of teachers (63.8%) reported that smoking is permitted on school premises. Of those teachers who smoke, 19.0% reported smoking on school premises. No disciplinary measures were reported for teachers who smoke on school premises, except for 1.6% who recalled receiving a reprimand from their principal. Over half of the respondents (52.4%) reported that their students smoke on school premises. Almost all teachers (98.4%) stated they would take measures to prevent students from smoking and 17.9% believe that they serve as health models for their students. The majority of teachers (92.1%) reported that they support smoking bans in public places, as well as their enforcement in outdoor public spaces (82.5%).

Conclusions:
Tobacco control law in the school grounds is violated, both from teachers and students. Smoke-free school environment in Greece remains a challenge. Enforcement of tobacco control law must be placed at the top of the health policies agenda for Greece.

Funding:
This survey was supported by an ESPA grant (MIS372829) and the George Behrakis Foundation