The Vaping Epidemic—What Are Schools Doing About It?
- Introduction Vaping isn’t a new issue, but with the recent reports of mysterious lung illnesses linked to e-cigarettes, many schools are starting to crack-down. ...
- Vape Detectors, Removing Bathroom Doors, and Checking Students As the number of teens vaping continues to rise, certain school districts are taking extreme measures to stop them. ...
- Fines and New Health Curriculums ...
- Final Thoughts ...
Full Answer
Is vaping in schools really a problem?
Students share that it is fairly easy to discreetly vape in class, and that’s a huge problem. However, it can be mitigated with some staff training.
Is vaping a problem at your school?
Myth: There are no secondhand smoke risks from vaping. Fact: Like secondhand vapor, secondhand vapor is harmful. When kids are vaping in a school bathroom, others who enter the room inhale the nicotine and the harmful metals and chemicals.
How often should I be Vaping?
If you are just vaping to blow clouds, you should avoid the Nicotine, and just vape whenever. As often as you like. Usually when you first quit smoking, you vape a lot, pretty much at any thought of smoking, which is good; it allows your brain to see that vaping is a good replacement for smoking.
What can schools do to prevent cyberbullying?
The ideal model is a school that incorporates digital citizenship lessons into the school day. A few other things schools can do to help prevent cyberbullying: Start from the ground up. Build a community that rewards kindness and compassion, not only academic or athletic achievement. Use the Internet in lesson plans.
What do schools do to stop vaping?
Go beyond citation and suspension – and help students quit Many schools have written policies in place that outline what to do when a student is caught vaping nicotine or THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) – ranging from suspension to even expulsion.
What are some solutions to stop vaping?
Quitting vaping? Here are 5 tips for handling nicotine withdrawalExercise. Physical activity is a reliable way to crush a craving, according to Hays. ... Use a distraction. Cravings will pass, if you can give them a minute or two. ... Set up your environment for success. ... Find stress solutions. ... Celebrate your accomplishments.
Can you get expelled from school for vaping?
Education Code Prohibits Tobacco and Nicotine Products A pupil shall not be suspended from school or recommended for expulsion, unless the superintendent of the school district or the principal of the school in which the pupil is enrolled determines that the pupil has…
What punishment should I give my kid for vaping?
Most kids use vape pens because they cannot be easily recognized as e-cigarettes. Common punishments include community service, one-week suspension for first or second offenses, and even expulsion for repeated behavior.
Can a doctor tell if you vape?
Medical tests can detect nicotine in people's urine, blood, saliva, hair, and nails. Nicotine is the addictive substance in tobacco, cigarettes, and vapes or e-cigarettes.
How can I tell if my kid is vaping?
Signs a person is vapingA sweet scent in the air. ... Unfamiliar pens and USB drives. ... Drinking more water. ... Nosebleeds. ... Smoker's cough or mouth sores. ... New batteries and chargers. ... Discarded vaping pods and devices.
Why do teenagers vape?
addiction, they like the “hit” they get from nicotine. appealing flavors (e.g. fruit, candy, dessert) devices are seen as trendy, or a status symbol. they consider vaping “harmless” and “safer than smoking” in order to quit or cut down on smoking.
Can teachers vape?
Absolutely not. Vaping falls under several rules, especially the morality and role modeling clauses of the standards for teaching practices. Teachers who smoke must do so in their cars, while parked off campus.
What to say when your parents find your vape?
Tell them you are sorry, and that you'll give it up. Then give it up. Seriously - vaping has not been proven to be safe, and smoking is definitely not safe, so why would you want to damage your body on purpose? Your parents want the best for you.
Why is vaping so hard to quit?
Nicotine is very addictive. The more you vape, the more your brain and body get used to having nicotine, and the harder it is to go without it. When you go without vaping, the nicotine level in your bloodstream drops, which may cause unpleasant feelings, physical symptoms, and strong urges to vape.
How do I stop vaping with anxiety?
Exercise can distract you from cravings, reduce stress, and improve your mood. Make it a part of your plan to quit vaping. Stay busy with the activities you love. This will help take your mind off vaping and fight cravings.
Can you heal from vaping?
Breathing in the harmful chemicals from vaping products can cause irreversible (cannot be cured) lung damage, lung disease and, in some cases, death.
What happens if you get caught with a vape pen?
In addition to suspension, students face a possible felony charge if the liquid in the vape pen includes a banned substance like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), an ingredient in cannabis.
What is Boulder Valley School District?
The Boulder Valley School District in Boulder County , Colo., has moved from letting individual schools decide how to handle such incidents to developing a community-wide approach that now stresses prevention efforts, including education for students about the risks and how to make good decisions, and informational parent nights that feature the county’ s public health department, law enforcement, local doctors, and experts. They are also working with local physicians to ask screening questions during regular check-ups.
How long does it take to vape a cigarette?
Another thing that has health and addiction researchers worried is that a significant number of teenagers who start vaping—30 percent according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse—progress to traditional cigarettes within six months.
Why is it important to start a vaping program with informational letters?
They started with informational letters to parents—a simple but important step because many parents did not know about the prevalence of vaping, were not talking to their children about vaping, or did not know the most effective ways to do so.
What percentage of teens believe e-cigarettes contain flavoring?
But many teens are not aware of the hazards of vaping. Sixty-six percent of teens believe their e-cigarettes contain just flavoring, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
What is a vaporizer pen?
Vaporizer pens and other sleek electronic devices convert nicotine-infused liquids to water vapor that can be inhaled.
Is vaping bad for you?
Experts agree that vaping is harmful to students’ bodies and brains. There are toxic chemicals and metals in many e-cigarettes, and vaping can cause respiratory issues, and potentially cardiovascular problems, and even seizures. The nicotine itself is much more concentrated in e-cigarettes than traditional ones.
Introduction
Vaping isn’t a new issue, but with the recent reports of mysterious lung illnesses linked to e-cigarettes, many schools are starting to crack-down.
Vape Detectors, Removing Bathroom Doors, and Checking Students
As the number of teens vaping continues to rise, certain school districts are taking extreme measures to stop them. Vaping detectors are being installed in school bathrooms and closets to detect vaping, THC oil (which is found in marijuana), and shouting between students.
Fines and New Health Curriculums
Suspension isn’t the only method being used to punish students for vaping on school grounds. The Fairhope police department, for example, is beginning to fine students at the Alabama high school anywhere from $10 to $50 for a first offense of vaping.
Final Thoughts
Because vaping is such a huge issue, schools must become more involved in the process of educating students on its consequences and preventing them from vaping on school grounds. It’s time for all schools to start reacting to this epidemic to protect the physical health of those who are vaping and the emotional health of those who don’t.
How long is the INDEPTH program?
It can be facilitated by any trained adult (training is free) and consists of four, 50-minute sessions that discuss vaping facts, harmful effects of nicotine and tobacco products, healthy alternatives to tobacco, and how to avoid future tobacco use.
How does vaping help youth?
One study among students aged 14 to 19 found that many participants quit smoking after peer education. Researchers also noted that the program helped to develop positive relationships between peers.
How many high school students use e-cigarettes?
adults in 2019 . Yet, e-cigarette and vaping use among high school and middle school students rose – nearly 27.5% of high school students and 10.5% ...
How to overcome addiction?
This strategy has been used successfully in many ways – from combating alcoholism to facilitating weight loss.
Is vaping a health risk in school?
Whether school this year is online or in-person, vaping remains a dangerous health risk to all students. Despite statewide bans on certain e-cigarettes ...
Do parents have to be involved in vaping?
Staff and parent or guardian education and participation are necessary, too. They need to know the warning signs of vaping and how to intervene. Many families believe their children aren’t vaping.
What is a Halo sensor?
Sensors allow you to increase safety without compromising privacy because you can put them in those places where you can’t install a camera, such as bathrooms and locker rooms. With the Extreme Network Integrated Vaping Solution, the HALO IoT Smart Sensors platform works with ExtremeCloud™ IQ to detect vaping, determine the area the event took place, and alert the proper personnel to handle the situation.
What is the most popular tobacco product among high school students?
E-cigarettes are the most popular tobacco product among high school students and they are on the rise with elementary children, so it’s no surprise that they’ve made their way onto school campuses. E-cigarettes are especially appealing to kids, and, since many look like everyday objects, they’re easy to hide.
Can students vape in class?
Students share that it is fairly easy to discreetly vape in class, and that’s a huge problem. However, it can be mitigated with some staff training. All administrators, teachers, and staff should be familiarized with the different types of products on the market (some even look like watches!), the harm they cause to lungs and developing brains, and the susceptibility of adolescents to addiction.
Should schools have e-cigarette policies?
You should specifically address e-cigarettes in your policy, but make sure they aren’t punitive. This isn’t as much a discipline issue as a rehabilitation one. Instead of exclusionary discipline like in-school suspension, consider having students participate in interactive educational sessions like INDEPTH. Schools also need to have programs and counseling available on-site to help kids quit and support them through that process. This K-12 model policy is a great place to start.
What Is Vaping?
Although cigarettes remain the world's main delivery vehicle for nicotine as of 2019, there are now many electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), known by many names: e-cigarettes, pods, e-cigs, vape pens, and other evolving names, including the brand name Juul. These products were initially developed and marketed as a healthier alternative for smokers trying to quit, but at this point it's clear that they also play a role in getting new customers to start, including children.
How Dangerous Is Vaping and Nicotine?
Nicotine-laced vapors have been presumed to be less toxic than tobacco smoke, which is why people trying to quit cigarettes have found them of interest. But they are not benign, especially for children, including teens. Nicotine interferes with brain development. Vaping devices degrade with use, adding toxic metal nanoparticles to the haze.
Is Vaping Just For Nicotine?
The trick of suspending a chemical in a vapor doesn't work only for nicotine, of course. Adding other chemicals to the "juice" isn't technically complicated. Companies quickly started adding flavors, beginning with traditional flavors like tobacco, mint and menthol, to appeal to smokers. Some companies even started selling products with added vitamins.
What Can School Boards Do?
Boards and administrators are faced with the challenge of balancing demands for "zero tolerance" enforcement with the reality that some of their students and faculty may be struggling with addiction.
What is a vaping device?
The Center on Addiction describes a vaping device as consisting of "a mouthpiece, a battery, a cartridge for containing the e-liquid or e-juice, and a heating component … which turns the contents of the e-liquid into an aerosol. The e-liquid in vaporizer products usually contains a propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin-based liquid with nicotine, flavoring and other chemicals and metals, but not tobacco."
How can parents help their kids with addiction?
Counselors and psychologists with expertise in addiction tend to encourage calm, informed conversations rather than heated threats or punishment. Ultimately, people make their own decisions at any age, and for adolescents a sense of independence tends to be pretty important. Vaping is a pretty dumb habit, and kids tend to know it, but there can be many reasons why quitting could be hard. The blog Empowering Parents has some useful verbage to help parents prepare, so that a conversation can be helpful.
How can we reduce vaping?
The first step in reducing childhood demand for vaping products is to build awareness of the significance of the problem. Governments in America and elsewhere are experimenting with anti-vaping campaigns to help spread the message through media. These campaigns will probably get bigger (and hopefully more effective) as government representatives respond to the pressure to do something quickly.
Looming Health Effects
Counseling vs. Fear Tactics
- Another thing that has health and addiction researchers worried is that a significant number of teenagers who start vaping—30 percent according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse—progress to traditional cigarettes within six months. “We don’t know why exactly,” said Alison Breland, a research professor in Virginia Commonwealth University’s psychology departm…
Parent Support Needed
- That’s the kind of comprehensive approach that Faren and school nurse Elizabeth Blackwell have been developing in Boulder Valley over the last two years. When Blackwell started as a nurse at Fairview High School, she was met with an “explosion of vaping incidents” and a dean who wanted to know what they were going to do about it. They started with informational letters to parents—…
Introduction
- Vaping isn’t a new issue, but with the recent reports of mysterious lung illnesseslinked to e-cigarettes, many schools are starting to crack-down. For the longest time, vaping was seen as a “safe alternative” to smoking cigarettes, but this theory has been disproved. Yet, vaping is still popular, especially among teens. To combat this new vaping epidemic among the youth, school…
Vape Detectors, Removing Bathroom Doors, and Checking Students
- As the number of teens vaping continues to rise, certain school districts are taking extreme measures to stop them. Vaping detectors are being installed in school bathrooms and closets to detect vaping, THC oil (which is found in marijuana), and shouting between students. The detector will notify school administrators, who will deal with the issue ...
Fines and New Health Curriculums
- Suspension isn’t the only method being used to punish students for vaping on school grounds. The Fairhope police department, for example, is beginning to fine students at the Alabama high schoolanywhere from $10 to $50 for a first offense of vaping. According to the department, the number of students found vaping in school has decreased due to these measures in place. How…
Final Thoughts
- Because vaping is such a huge issue, schools must become more involved in the process of educating students on its consequences and preventing them from vaping on school grounds. It’s time for all schools to start reacting to this epidemic to protect the physical health of those who are vaping and the emotional health of those who don’t. Health consequences aren’t the only eff…