Movies rated for a youthful audience should not feature anyone smoking, according to an American Medical Asso­cia­tion Alliance national campaign.

The Denton school board now backs that push.

Recently, school board members unanimously approved a resolution for submission to the Texas Association of School Boards that supports giving an R rating to most movies with tobacco use in any scene.

The agenda item was introduced by school board member Mia Price, who recently finished her term as president of the Texas Medical Association Alliance, a volunteer service organization of physicians’ spouses.

“It’s really a good, good initiative,” said Price, adding that she supports it “unequivocally.”

The National School Boards Association already endorses the resolution, Price said, and if enough organizations get on board, it could have significant bearing on the movie industry.

More than 50 organizations have endorsed the “Screen Out!” campaign, and the national medical alliance is still advocating for more groups and parents to get involved, said Melissa Walthers, project coordinator.

The alliance’s push, which started in 2006, is just one part of what’s going on nationwide, Walthers said.

There are other national campaigns asking for the same solutions, such as the Smoke Free Movies campaign, with supporting groups numbering in the hundreds, she said.

Giving an R rating to a movie because of smoking is “a little harsh,” said Ben Levin, a professor and director of graduate studies at the University of North Texas’ department of radio, television and film.

When smoking is absolutely irrelevant to the story, the alliance may have a point, he said, but he added that he would hate to see any restrictions on filmmaker’s artistic work.

Levin asked who would judge whether smoking in a film is artistically appropriate.

A PG rating implies parental guidance is needed, and when parents are gauging whether a movie is appropriate for their child, smoking could be something they consider, he said.

Some films would not be affected by the proposal.

The exceptions would be “when the presentation of tobacco clearly and unambiguously reflects the dangers and consequences of tobacco use or is necessary to represent the smoking of a real historical figure,” according to literature released by the national medical alliance.

For example, Walthers said, a historical film about Winston Churchill or a movie scene of people with emphysema smoking on their deathbeds would be exempt from the proposed rating rule.

Walthers said the American Medical Association Alliance just wants to stop the glamorization of smoking in movies geared at teens and younger children.

The alliance has sent out about 2,000 letters to six major media studios, as well as to the Motion Picture Association of America, the trade association in charge of the U.S. movie ratings system.

The campaign also calls for three other changes in Amer­i­can films:

* that movie producers certify that no one involved benefited materially by having tobacco in the motion picture,

* that a strong anti-tobacco ad should be shown before a movie that shows smoking, and

* that tobacco brands should not be identified in movies.

This initiative is “going to protect kids from picking up this deadly addiction,” said Walthers.

Tobacco is the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the United States, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The alliance refers to several studies that suggest children are more aware of tobacco on-screen than young adults and that those most exposed to it in movies are nearly three times more likely to take up smoking.

The MPAA pledged in 2007 that it would consider smoking, in addition to sex, violence and adult language, when rating movies.

The alliance pointed to audits that say children’s exposure to tobacco in movies remains unchanged.

“Our biggest success is getting the public to actually see this as a children’s health issue,” said Walthers.

The initiative would not seek a retroactive R rating for films that have already been rated, she said.

AMY DODD THOMPSON can be reached at 940-566-6876. Her e-mail address is athompson@dentonrc.com .