Cracking down on vaping

Schools explore ways to discourage student use

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While Nassau County has passed legislation to cut down on the sale of electronic cigarettes, school districts are still trying to find the best methods to discourage students from vaping.

Electronic cigarettes heat up a liquid that contains nicotine, and flavoring made from liquid glycerin, to create an inhalable vapor. Smokers often use the devices to help them with cigarette cessation. Many people, however, have turned to electronic cigarettes because of the flavors. A 2016 report from the U.S. Surgeon General, “E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults,” found that the flavors in e-cigarettes are one of the main reasons teenagers smoke them.

Dr. Mark Secaur, deputy superintendent of the Hewlett-Woodmere School District, said that the district has concentrated on informing students about the dangers of vaping. “Our focus has centered on prevention, and providing our students with the information necessary for them to make well-informed decisions,” Secaur said. “To that end, Woodmere Middle School and Hewlett High School have conducted a number of assemblies and information sessions for their students and parents.”

He added that the district has tried to increase security in the areas where students smoke e-cigarettes. “Our secondary schools have also utilized a variety of methods to better monitor areas where students tend to vape,” Secaur said. “At this time, the district is evaluating its approach to this issue and will adapt as necessary.”

Not all parents think the district is handling the issue effectively. Heidi Muckler has a son at Hewlett High who told her that students must sign in and out when they use the restroom. “Every bathroom has a teacher and or a hall monitor standing in front of it, and if a student takes too long in the bathroom, it is investigated,” Muckler detailed in a Facebook post on Feb. 10. “If they discover that a group of kids were hanging out in a bathroom, then it could result in a detention.”

The district should devise a better method, Muckler said. “Couldn’t they come up with another way to deal with their issues than time kids going to a bathroom?” she asked. “I understand that vaping is an issue in the school, but I’m not sure that all kids being timed in the bathroom is the correct initiative.”

While Secaur declined to elaborate on the school’s policies, he said that students who are caught vaping face serious consequences. “Similar to our security protocols, the district does not share specifics regarding the methods utilized for student safety,” he said. “That said, adolescents often experiment in ways that are unhealthy. When that occurs, and they violate our Code of Conduct by vaping on school grounds, they are given consequences.”

Similarly, the Lawrence School District emphasizes the dangers of vaping. Lawrence High School Principal Dr. Jennifer Lagnado-Papp said that education is essential. “We don’t just hold assemblies, but we also give out literature in our classes that discuss the dangers of vaping,” Lagnado-Papp said. “We’re not out to get students when we catch them vaping; we just want to make it a point to tell them why it’s bad to do.”

At the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway High School, social worker Rivka Cohen explained that the school has a zero-tolerance policy on vaping. “The students understand the consequences if they are caught,” she said. “We try to discuss with students not only the dangers of vaping, but also the dangers of substance abuse with drugs and alcohol.”

Cohen added that HAFTR High periodically holds workshops hosted by another social worker who specializes in substance abuse. “There are usually 10 students in each session,” she said. “The feedback I’ve received from our students is that they’re happy that we hold these workshops.” 

Local governments have tried to cut down on vaping with legislation. A county law that took effect on Jan. 1 allows only flavorless and tobacco, mint or menthol flavored e-cigarette and liquid nicotine products to be sold. And Town of Hempstead Supervisor Donald Clavin unveiled an anti-vaping action plan in a news conference on Feb. 11, which includes a series of anti-vaping forums that will be presented at local schools and libraries throughout the town.

Lagnado-Papp acknowledged that vaping isn’t just a Lawrence School District issue. “In recent years, vaping has become a big topic of discussion for all school districts,” she said. “We just have to do our best to keep on educating our students on how bad it is for you.”

Have an opinion about vaping in schools? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.