Schools nationwide have begun to install vape detectors in bathrooms to prevent teens from vaping in schools. H-F is among the schools considering this change.
The 2024 Annual National Youth Tobacco Survey reported nearly 1.63 million (6%) high school and middle school students reported using e-cigarettes in 2024. However, this number is down by about 500,000 students from the previous year. This drop comes as schools begin installing high-tech vape detectors in bathrooms and locker rooms as a preventative measure, thus limiting students’ abilities to vape during the school day.
These detectors resemble smoke detectors and cost about $1,000 each. They alert school officials every time vape smoke, cannabinoid THC or CBD is detected. They can additionally detect loud noises that might indicate a fight and signal staff if someone tampers with them.
Some districts use the money they received from a $1.7 billion legal settlement against e-cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs to pay for the devices. This case was settled in September when the company agreed to pay $438.5 million to settle an investigation by nearly three dozen states over marketing and sales practices that they contend set off the nation’s teenage vaping crisis.
The Lincoln Public Schools district in Nebraska was one of these.
In the first week of activation in October 2023, NPR reported school officials received nearly 100 vaping alerts. By Christmas break, that number had dropped to just four.
Alternatively, New York is possibly making these detectors mandatory in schools as a bipartisan group of lawmakers in New York recently introduced legislation requiring the city’s Department of Education to put detectors in every public school.
According to the New York Senate, the bill would “require all New York City public schools with a student enrollment of one thousand or more to install vape detectors within the school.”
All this being said, will H-F follow this new trend?
Assistant principal Craig Fantin says maybe.
“I would say we could head down that road eventually. We’ve looked at them and talked to other schools who have installed them. I think it’s a good idea in theory but there are still a lot of issues with them,” Fantin said. “The problem is that it’s hard to detect due to false positives from perfumes, lotions and air fresheners. In my opinion, the cons far outweigh the pros.”
Fortunately for H-F, issues with students being caught vaping in school bathrooms have been on the downslide in recent years.
“It’s honestly hard to compare year to year because when vaping first became prevalent in 2015-16 we didn’t even know there were both nicotine and THC vapes,” Fantin expressed. “It’ll probably happen eventually, but it’s not one of our priorities. I just don’t think the tech is there to make it worthwhile.”
This being said, there is still punishment for H-F students being caught vaping in the bathrooms, ranging from detentions to suspension.
“The best thing we can do is educate students to keep them from vaping. There’s so many unknown side and long-term effects and it’s just not worth it,” Fantin said.
