The Monroe-Woodbury Board of Education announced a new addition to the previous smoking and tobacco products policy to include the use of e-cigarettes, and vaporizers, after an online student survey revealed the use of vaporizers to be a problem at the high school.

This new update now states that students who are caught with e-cigarettes, vaporizers, and/or any products that contain nicotine will have such paraphernalia confiscated and that “the district reserves the right to give such paraphernalia to law enforcement.”

Assistant Principal Mr. Flanagan said that if a student is seen in the act of using, or in possessing a vaporizer that student will face “varying levels of disciplinary action, depending on their school record.”

“It’s not a one size fits all situation,” said Mr. Flanagan, “progressive discipline plays a huge part in the consequences given to the students.”

Mr. Flanagan said that “only education and awareness can eliminate such problems,” but the idea that the students came forth about the problem shows that they care about the school’s environment.

High school sophomore Christine Staley said that vaping is a huge problem, especially in the school bathrooms and stairways.  

“I hate vaping because I have asthma; it’s a serious hazard to other people’s health and should not take place in a school,” said Staley.

She said she has seen countless girls vaping in the bathroom and that she said: “it even caused me to have an asthma attack.”  

Staley says that although there is a lot of work to be done to totally get rid off vaping in school, this addition to the existing policy is a good place to start.  

Another sophomore Brooke Schoen said that although she has not seen anyone vape on campus she feels that it is “highly inappropriate to do in school.”

Schoen said that she feels as if the school has handled the situation appropriately and is glad to hear the school is listening to the voices of the students.

For information about the impact of vaping on young people, visit this website.