By RODNEY L. SHERMAN
Clarion News editor
Keystone High School is cracking down on “vaping” this upcoming school year as administrators noted a marked increase in the habit last year.
Possession and use of vaping products are banned at Keystone, and students who violate the policy face a three-day in-school suspension.
Keystone High School Principal Brad Wagner told the July 19 meeting of the school board he caught 21 different students in possession of or using vaping devices on school property during the last school year.
Vaping is the inhaling of a vapor created by an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) or other vaping devices. E-cigarettes are battery-powered smoking devices. They have cartridges filled with a liquid that usually contains nicotine, flavorings, and chemicals. The liquid is heated into a vapor, which the person inhales.
Wagner noted those 21 students caught with or using the devices came in a school year that included some periods where the school was closed.
“The previous year we only had five (vaping incidents),” said Wagner. “And those 21 we caught last year are just the ones we caught.”
To stem the vaping, the Keystone school board approved the purchase of a vaping detection system.
The system will deploy monitors in areas administrators have determined are used by students using vape devices, usually restrooms.
The monitors do not include cameras, but when triggered can set off an audible or silent alarm and record the time and location of the incident.
The vape detectors also pick up on THC, an ingredient in marijuana.
The detectors also send an alarm if any tampering with the units occurs.
Wagner said he has talked to other school administrators in the area about the growing problem of vaping.
“It’s everywhere,” said Wagner.
e-cigarettes have been found to have chemicals and particles that have been linked experimentally to lung disease, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Vaping can also cause lung inflammation, which has been linked to chronic lung disease as well.
Recent additional CARES Act funding has been approved for schools for a variety of different school needs, including projects to improve and/or monitor indoor air quality at school facilities.
With this recent passage of funding, implementing vape detectors and air quality monitoring systems are more obtainable for school districts.
Keystone High School Assistant Principal Kelli McNaughton said the nearest school district with a vape detection system in place is Commodore Perry, which reported success with the program.
Wagner also noted some changes in the district’s handbooks regarding vaping.
Vaping devices confiscated by administrators will be destroyed.
Wagner said some students who had their devices confiscated asked for the devices back at the end of the school year. The change in the handbook makes the destruction of the devices school policy.
Wagner noted vaping device makers are disguising the devices as other ordinary items such as USB drives and pens.