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Youth

Vaping Epidemic Hits Local Schools, Parents Urged to Help

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

As the nation grapples with a rise in vaping among young people, Clark and Champaign counties' schools are seeing a similar trend. Over 2 million young people across the country used e-cigarette products, including vapes, in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Ohio, 47.7% of high school students used vapor products in 2019, higher than the national average of 50.1%.

Key Takeaways:

  • Local schools in Clark and Champaign counties are expelling and suspending record numbers of students caught vaping in school, with Tecumseh schools alone surpassing the number of expulsions in the last decade combined.
  • Elementary students as young as third and fourth grade are coming to school with vapes, highlighting the widespread nature of the problem.
  • Vapes are being marketed towards younger kids, often in flavors, colors, and sizes that appeal to them.
  • Nicotine can harm parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control, and e-cigarettes contain up to half the nicotine found in regular cigarettes.
  • Area districts like Tecumseh, Springfield, Northeastern, and Triad have implemented various measures to prevent vaping, including online learning programs, vape education classes, and installing HALO devices to detect vaping in restrooms.
  • Consequences for vaping vary depending on severity and frequency but can include confiscation of items, calls to parents, and restorative practices instead of punishment.

Statistics:

  • 2 million: Number of young people across the country who used e-cigarette products in 2021 (CDC)
  • 47.7%: Percentage of Ohio high school students who used vapor products in 2019 (CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System)
  • 50.1%: National average of high school students who used vapor products in 2019 (CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System)
  • 11: Number of students expelled from Tecumseh schools for vaping THC oil so far
  • 14: Number of HALO devices awarded to Tecumseh schools through a safety grant
  • $1,095: Cost of one HALO vape detector device
  • $15,000: Award received by Tecumseh schools for additional HALO devices
  • 18: Number of suspensions at Triad schools due to vaping

Sources:

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
  • Tecumseh schools
  • Clark County Combined Health District
  • Springfield News-Sun, Ohio
  • Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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