RICHFIELD, Ohio—It came out as a safer alternative to smoking— but vaping is proving to have its own downfalls.
- There have been 450 cases of illness related to vaping in the U.S., with 6 resulting in death
- Revere Schools, in Summit County, installed vape detectors to crack down on teen use
- When the device detects something, a text message is sent to an administrator’s phone, notifying them of the location of the incident
“When vaping came into existence, they were marketing it in a way that it was so much safer than smoking and that just isn’t the case,” said Matthew Montgomery, Revere Local Schools superintendent.
Superintendent of Revere Local Schools Matthew Montgomery says the district had to do something to combat the rising number of teens smoking e-cigarettes.
“We as a district, as well as many districts across the state and the country, are looking for ways to educate students and also deter students from engaging in this risky behavior,” said Montgomery.
They decided to install vape detectors throughout the high school, middle school and field house.
“What the detectors do is they are fixed to the ceiling in a given area, they’ll pick up chemical abnormalities or noise disturbances within a 10 by 10 area,” said Montgomery.
Once the device picks up the chemicals found in e-cigarettes, a text message will be sent to an administrator’s phone, and that administrator will be notified as to where the incident happened, hopefully allowing them to catch the student who was vaping.
“The parent response has been very favorable. They are excited that we are trying new and innovative ways to address the concern,” said Montgomery.
Montgomery says it is about deterring the kids— but it’s also about education, which is something, he says, they can’t do alone.
“It’s a community effort, the schools can’t do it alone,” said Montgomery. “Just like they couldn’t do it alone in the 80s with smoking, so it really is a collaborative approach and partnering with parents and local agencies and state agencies is really paramount to ensure that we get the education that we need out to the students so they can truly be aware of the risks of this type of behavior and then hopefully make the best choices in the spirit of health and wellness.”
