Greater Essex County District School Board trustees, led by Julia Burgess, voted unanimously to have the board develop a fragrance policy becasue, as Burgess said, some people have reactions to synthetic scents. (CBC News)

New rules regulating synthetic scents, such as perfumes and body sprays, worn by students and teachers at Greater Essex County District School Board schools are in the works.

Trustee Julia Burgess said synthetic fragrances cause some people to have allergic reactions. She raised the issue at Tuesday night's school board meeting.

"I don't think we're going to have any sniffer dogs out to see who the great offenders are, no. I think it's one of those common sense things, literally, no pun intended," Burgess said.

The rest of the trustees voted unanimously to have the board develop a fragrance policy.

Vincent Massey high school teacher Stephanie Fillion said everyone should be mindful of those who can't handle strong odours.

"Well, personally, I actually like to wear a little bit of body spray to make myself smell good, so I don't know if I would really like having that option taken away from me, but I understand that sometimes it becomes an allergy issue," Fillion said.

But while school trustees voted to come up with a policy, they stressed the goal is not to ban fragrances, just to reduce them.

"Perfumes, hairsprays, deodorants, heavy cologne items. It's unpleasant," Burgess said. "It's hard to work when you've got a three-hour headache."

Student Jason Masisonville agrees with the proposed policy.

"It's very disturbing for some people and it makes their eyes water and it's just not comfortable," he said. "This is our learning environment and I think that all students deserve to be comfortable in here."