A new state law on vaping in schools has tightened discipline for students caught with devices, giving schools more teeth to address the growing problem.
House Bill 114 went into effect Sept. 1 and requires districts to remove students from class and place them in a “disciplinary alternative education program” if they possess or use an e-cigarette, also known as vapes, or if they sell or deliver them to someone else. It applies on school campuses, within 300 feet of school property or at school-sponsored or activities on or off school property.
DAEPs are an educational alternative for elementary through high school students who are removed from their regular classes for disciplinary reasons.
“It’s a good time, if you have had that conversation with your adolescent child, to have a conversation about vaping,” said Conroe ISD Superintendent Curtis Null. “Not only the health aspects involved but about disciplinary consequence and potential legal consequences.”
Vapes are dangerous for children because they include nicotine, which can harm brain development, increase risk for future drug addiction and negatively affect mental health, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A study from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the CDC found that 2.55 million U.S. middle and high school students reported e-cigarette use in 2022. That includes 14.1 percent of high school students and 3.3 percent of middle school students.
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Stephanie Fox, whose son attends Montgomery High School, said it was surprising how many students vape.
“Any parent who thinks their kid isn’t doing it or hasn’t tried it is lying to themselves,” Fox said. “Your kid is doing it.”
Fox said one way to help detect if a child is using a vape, which is easy to conceal, is to have their children take drug and nicotine tests.
Fox also said that if a child gets a vape or finds a vape, there isn’t a way to determine what it might contain.
“There is no learning curve here,” Fox said. “If a kid is given a vape at school, they really have no idea if there is THC in them.”
THC is the main psychoactive compound in marijuana. In Texas, it is a felony to possess a vape with THC.
Health risks
Dr. Ron Dickson, medical director for the Montgomery County Hospital District and emergency room physician, said there are “great” concerns about vaping and its effects on adolescents.
“This is an epidemic across the county,” Dickson said.
Dickson said vaping devices were originally developed in the early 2000s for people addicted to nicotine to try and decrease harm to their lung tissue. Nicotine, he said, has vascular effects on the body.
However, the effect of nicotine on children is more far-reaching.
“You have effects on the developing brain in adolescents,” Dickson said. “There is a lot of clinical science out there that says as the brain develops up until about 25. During that time, if you are constantly using these nicotine products, we believe long term it will have cognitive effects.”
Vaping on campus
The vaping issue isn’t news for districts. Many have developed programs to help prevent students from using the devices.
Willis ISD has stepped up its preventive measures and provides instruction using the Catch My Breath prevention program for its middle school students. The peer-led teaching program empowers students with the knowledge and skills needed to make informed decisions about e-cigarettes and resist social pressures to vape.
Additionally, in 2022, the district formed a vaping coalition to address the rise in vaping.
“Each middle school and high school established a campus-based coalition with students to address specific needs,” said Jamie Fails, director of communication for Willis ISD. “All middle school and high school campuses teach lessons on ‘responsible decision making.’”
Sarah Blakelock, director of communications for CISD, said the district focuses on several aspects, including creating a safe learning environment and helping students develop positive character traits, which she said are key to prevention.
“Students engage in educational opportunities through campus events and campus-led lessons,” Blakelock said. “We are continuously evaluating our efforts to support the needs of our students throughout the district.”
