Summer Serres
eSomethin staff
Students caught with vapes at school can earn three to eight day suspensions and mandatory drug abuse programming, and now Perrysburg has automatic detectors in the bathrooms to catch students who vape.
Mr. Dave Dakolios, assistant principal, said, “Getting caught with a nicotine vape results in three days of a program at the junior high (basically an in-school suspension), and THC vapes result in eight days of suspension and a drug abuse program.”
Teachers see these detectors as an asset to stopping student vaping. Students have mixed rections.
Harshini Bharadwaj, a junior and president of Mindfulness Club, said, “I think [the detectors] have pros and cons. For the people who do vape, I’m sure it is effective. However, the inconveniences of being searched for quite literally just trying to go to the bathroom puts a damper on, like, everyone’s mood, especially because a lot of the people who get searched really haven’t done anything.”
How did Perrysburg fund this expensive addition?
Dakolios said, “We got money from a grant to add the detectors. It’s very expensive, that is why we just got them this year.”
What was the purpose of adding these vape detectors?
Perrysburg High School is comfortable with fear being a deterrent for vaping. The administration wants students to be afraid of getting caught vaping for their own health and safety.
Dakolios said, “The idea and fear of getting caught vaping will prevent it from happening.”
However, while the administration hopes these detectors will decrease vaping, they also have concerns about students missing class due to vape-related searches.
Alexa Shine, secretary of Mindfulness Club, said, “I think that the vape detectors are good in theory, but the teachers/faculty don’t handle them well. So many people get searched who have never even touched a vape, and it’s an inconvenience. Yes, [the detectors] are good but they should implement them better.”
Dakolios said, “We had the concern about pulling students out of class or making them late. Some students are in the wrong place at the wrong time. If students are caught with vapes, it takes them out of class.”
Vape detectors have had a significant effect already on Perrysburg High School.
Dakolios claims that the “greatest accomplishment of adding these detectors was preventing student vaping.”
Although Dakolios did not elaborate on specifics, eSomethin’ can confirm that instances of vaping have reduced since the detectors were installed.
How can the community prevent vaping?
Dakolios said that, “They [the administration] work with the police. If they get the name of a place/supplier [of vapes to minors], the police can pursue that case. It is harder to be aware of vaping because there is not always a smell like there is with cigarettes. A nicotine vape is not the only vape, and people should be aware of things like THC vapes.”
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