3 Palm Beach County schools have vape detectors in the bathrooms. Here's what to know
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Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways
Palm Beach County schools are working to tamp down on vaping in campus bathrooms to the tune of $150,000 per year, according to data provided by the school district.
That's the price tag of a pilot program run by the district that installed restroom vape detectors at three school campuses before the start of the school year. The school district has declined to say which schools are part of the program.
The devices were created by the New York-based company Halo Smart Sensor.
The sensors send notifications to school administrators if they detect vaping in the restroom, Superintendent Mike Burke said. The sensors do not contain cameras, but the Halo Smart Sensor website says the alarms can be calibrated to sense gunshots, fights or loud noises.
Palm Beach County schools Superintendent Mike Burke joins a student for breakfast on the first day of school on Aug. 12, 2024. Burke announced the vape detector program a few weeks before the first day of school.
Halo Smart Sensor's website also says the devices can differentiate between vaping, vaping with THC or intentionally masking vaping by using perfume or spray deodorant to cover up the aerosol.
Here's what to know about the sensors and how they work:
What is vaping?
Vaping is a form of electronic smoking in which the user inhales from a battery-powered device that creates an aerosol often containing nicotine and flavorings. Unlike smoking traditional cigarettes, users may exhale an odorless cloud or a cloud of fruit-scented vapor after using the vaping device.
Common disposable brands of e-cigarettes include Elf Bar, Esco Bars and Mr. Fog. Vuse and JUUL vapes feature reusable batteries with interchangeable pods.
Some vape batteries can be used with cartridges that contain the active substance in marijuana known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the element primarily responsible for effects on a person's mental state.
In 2023, the CDC found that 2.1 million people under 18 years old used e-cigarettes or vapes. That amounts to 4.6% of middle school students and 10% of high school students nationwide. Vaping can lead to nicotine addiction, which can damage young people's bodies and their ability to focus, the CDC found.
While researchers do not yet know all the effects vaping can have on the body, particles inhaled while vaping can cause inflammation, swelling and irritation in the lungs. That can lead to lung damage, including scarring and narrowing of the tubes that bring air to and from the lungs, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
How many Palm Beach County students have gotten in trouble for vaping at school?
During the 2022-23 school year, the latest data available from the state Department of Education, Palm Beach County recorded 2,069 incidents in which a student was disciplined for vaping at schools.
Vaping made up 32% of the district's total 6,445 disciplinary incidents that school year.
That may suggest the problem is more widespread or more strictly enforced in Palm Beach County than in other urban school districts in Florida because this county's share of vaping incidents appears high compared with all discipline.
In Broward and Miami-Dade counties, vaping incidents make up 22% and 27% of disciplinary incidents, according to data from the same year. In Orange and Duval counties, those figures are 13.3% and 10.3%, respectively.
Statewide, about 21% of Florida's total 120,297 disciplinary incidents during the 2022-23 school year were vaping-related.
From earlier this year: Vape detectors: Some Palm Beach County schools will test the devices this year. What to know
What is the punishment for a Palm Beach County student found vaping at school?
If an elementary school student is found to have vaped on campus, the student code of conduct calls for up to three days of out of school suspension.
Middle and high school students may be suspended for up to five days for their first offense.
Will all Palm Beach County schools get vaping detectors?
The school district has not announced whether it will install vape detectors on additional campuses or expand the pilot program itself.
Additionally, the school board has not yet publicly discussed the results of the pilot program.
A screenshot of the public website belonging to Halo Smart Sensor, a company contracted by the Palm Beach County School District to provide vape detectors to three campuses this school year.
How did the school district pay for the vape detectors?
The school district paid for the vape detectors using money from a lawsuit settlement with e-cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs Inc.
In March 2023, the school board approved the settlement as a result of a national lawsuit brought by more than 1,400 agencies attempting to recoup resources they sunk into fighting youth e-cigarette use.
Juul is a brand of e-cigarette that is shaped like a USB flash drive. Like other e-cigarettes, the device became popular with teens, who are prohibited from buying tobacco in Florida until age 21.
The settlement has promised more than $10 million for Palm Beach County schools over the next five years, according to district staff.
The school board approved $150,000 for the vape detector project last January.
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Katherine Kokal is a journalist covering education at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at kkokal@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today!
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County spent $150K on vape detectors for school bathrooms
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