BOERNE, Texas – In an effort to curb vaping on campus, Boerne-Samuel V. Champion High School has removed the doors on bathrooms used by students.
Over Thanksgiving break, Boerne Independent School District (ISD) workers removed the hallway doors leading to the restrooms, reports the Boerne Star. Although the hallway doors have been removed, the stall doors inside the bathrooms remain. Additionally, some mirrors in the hallway have been taken down that could enable someone standing outside of the bathroom to see a person in a stall, reports MySA.
The move is in response to increased reports of vaping at Champion High School. No other Boerne ISD campus has removed the doors from their bathrooms.
Related Article: Disposable Flavored E-Cigarettes Are Wreaking Havoc in American Schools
In addition to the door removals, employee duty assignments have been adjusted during passing periods. The restrooms will continue to be checked by security staff when classes are in session.
It is illegal in Texas for anyone under the age of 21 to possess or use an e-cigarette or vaping device. Boerne ISD’s code of conduct also forbids possession or use.
Technologies and Campus Staff Can Help Curb Student Vaping
School officials across the nation have reported e-cigarette use by students causes significant negative impacts on students, disruption of classroom instruction, a severe drain on available personnel, re-allocation of limited staff development time for teachers and other school staff, a strain on existing student assistance programs, increased expenditures, medical emergencies, and other significant problems.
Some of the ways schools try to address student vaping on campus include:
- Educating students on the harmful effects of vaping
- Supervision of students
- Deploying personnel to hotspots where vaping often takes place
- Adopting vape sensors that detect the chemicals in e-cigarette aerosol
- Deploying smart cameras with analytics software that can detect loitering, detect when someone enters a “no-go” zone, such as remote hallways or roof
- Adopting access control systems
- Using electronic hall passes
- Integrating vape sensors, cameras, access control, electronic hall passes, and other appropriate security and safety technologies.
To read more about these solutions and other challenges related to student vaping in schools, read Addressing the School E-Cigarette and Vaping Epidemic.
