IN SCHOOL BATHROOMS. THESE DAYS IT’S VAPING. IT IS. AND AS WESH 2’S PAMELA COMBS EXPLAINS, VOLUSIA COUNTY SCHOOLS ARE TAKING A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO STOP IT FROM HAPPENING. DELAND HIGH IS ONE OF THE MANY VOLUSIA COUNTY CAMPUSES INUNDATED BY VAPE PENS. ABSOLUTELY. ALL THE TIME. I MEAN, I’LL BE TRYING TO GO TO THE BATHROOM AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THEY’LL BE STALLS TAKEN UP BY KIDS JUST VAPING. IT’S ALL OVER THE SCHOOL. SADLY. SOPhom*oRE AIDEN MOLINA SHARES THE SMOKE IN THE BATHROOM IS SOMETIMES UNBEAR ABLE PEOPLE ALWAYS HAVING TO BARGE INTO THE BATHROOMS. MALE AND FEMALE BATHROOMS AND JUST CATCHING THEM WITH IT COULD BE VAPING, IT COULD BE UP TO WEED, EVEN, AND IT JUST SMELLS HORRIBLE UP IN THERE. BECAUSE OF THIS UPTICK, MOLINA SAYS. DURING CLASS CHANGES, ONE STAFF MEMBER HAS THE SOLE JOB OF KEEPING AN EYE ON STUDENTS. SHE SITS AT THE VERY FRONT BETWEEN THE TWO BATHROOMS, SO THE GUY SIDE WILL BE ON THIS SIDE, THE LADIES ON THIS SIDE, AND SHE’LL JUST BE THERE. AND IF SHE STARTS TO SMELL ANYTHING OR HEAR ANYTHING ABOUT THAT, SHE’LL WALK IN AND GET RID OF IT. COORDINATOR OF STUDENT SERVICES NATHANIEL ANDERSON SHARES THIS IS JUST ONE OF THE MANY EXTRA MEASURES SOME SCHOOLS HAVE. ANYTIME A SCHOOL CAN MUSTER UP EXTRA SUPERVISION, IT ALWAYS HELPS IN ALL AREAS. DELAND IS NOT THE ONLY SCHOOL THAT UTILIZES. TEACHERS AND STAFF MEMBERS FOR EXTRA SUPERVISION. SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER CARL PERSIS ALSO MENTIONED THERE ARE NEARLY 200 SMOKE DETECTORS INSTALLED IN BATHROOMS ACROSS DIFFERENT MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS TO HELP CATCH STUDENTS, AND IT’S NOT SOMETHING THE SCHOOL HAS NECESSARILY ADVERTISED. I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW ABOUT THAT AT ALL. ACTUALLY. MANY STUDENTS HAVE ALSO STARTED USING THE FORTIFY APP THIS SCHOOL YEAR TO ANONYMOUSLY REPORT CLASSMATES WHO VAPE. WITH ALL THESE MEASURES IN PLACE AS OF EARLY FEBRUARY, THE DISTRICT HAS HAD 810 VAPE INCIDENTS AND THEY’RE ON TRACK TO TOP LAST SCHOOL. YEAR AFTER THEY HAD NEARLY 1300 INCIDENTS OF VAPE AND TOBACCO FOR THE 20 2223 ACADEMIC YEAR, WE MAY HAVE HAD MORE LAST YEAR THAN WE ACTUALLY KNEW, TOO, BUT THIS YEAR WE SEEM TO BE, UH, CATCHING SEEING MORE STUDENTS. IT IS UNCLEAR WHETHER ALL THE ADDITIONAL MEASURES TO HELP STOP VAPING IN SCHOOLS ARE WORKING. ONE THING WE KNOW MANY STUDENTS HOPE THE DISTRICT GETS THINGS UNDER CONTROL. I THINK IT HAS AN EFFECT ON RELATIONSHIPS AS WELL IN SCHOOL, BECAUSE WHEN YOU’RE THAT GUY THAT DOESN’T WANT TO DO ALL THAT, BUT YOU HAVE A FRIEND THAT STARTS DOING IT, IT REALLY CAN BREAK UP A LOT OF STUFF. REPORTING IN VOLUSIA COUNTY, PAMELA COMBS, WESH TWO NEWS. THE DISTRICT HAS ALSO RAMPED UP EDUCATION EFFORTS TEACHING STUDENTS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF VAPING. THEY DID NOT SHARE ANY FUTURE PLANS TO HELP GET VAPING UNDER CONTROL IN SCHOOLS, BUT THEY ARE EVALUATI
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'It's all over the school': DeLand High School sophom*ore says the vaping in schools is out of control
Pamela Comme
Reporter
U.S. schools have invested millions in surveillance technology to help combat vaping. Here in Volusia County, those efforts are ongoing.DeLand High is one of the many Volusia County campuses inundated by vape pens."I'll be trying to go to the bathroom and then, you know, there'll be stalls taken up by kids just vaping. It just really sucks. It's all over the school, sadly," said Ayden Molina, a sophom*ore student at DeLand High School.Molina shares the smoke in the bathroom is sometimes unbearable."People are always having to barge into the bathrooms, male and female bathrooms, and just catching them," he added. "It could be vaping, could be up to weed, even, and it just smells horrible up in there."Because of this uptick, Molina said, during class changes, one staff member has the sole job of keeping an eye on the students."She sits at the very front between the two bathrooms," he said. "She'll just be there, and if she starts to smell anything, hear anything about that, she'll walk in and get rid of it or call an administrator."Volusia County Schools Coordinator of Student Services Nathanial Anderson shares this is just one of many extra measures some schools have."Any time a school can muster up extra supervision, it always helps," said Anderson. "Always. DeLand is not the only school that utilizes teachers and staff members for extra supervision."School board member Carl Persis also mentioned there are nearly 200 smoke detectors installed in bathrooms across different middle and high schools to help catch students.And it's not something the school has necessarily advertised."I didn't even know about that at all, actually," said Molina.Many students have also started using the Fortify App this school year to anonymously report classmates who vape.With all these measures in place, as of early February, the district has had 810 vape incidents.They're on track to top last school year after they had nearly 1,300 incidents of vape and tobacco for the 22-23 academic year."We may have had more last year than we do," Persis said. "But this year, we seem to be catching more students."It is unclear whether all the additional measures to help stop vaping in schools are working.One thing we know, many students hope the district gets it under control."I think it affects relationships as well in school," said Molina. "Because when you're that guy that doesn't want to do all of that, but you have a friend that starts doing it, it really can break up a lot of stuff."The district has also ramped up education efforts, teaching students about the dangers of vaping.They didn't share any plans to help get vaping under control in schools, but they are evaluating current practices to determine what should change for the following year.Top headlines:Orange County sheriff: Deputy opened fire when suspect jumped out of rideshare vehicle with gun Brevard sheriff: Husband of missing woman found dead arrested for murder Orlando Commissioner Regina Hill arrested, accused of elderly exploitation
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. —
U.S. schools have invested millions in surveillance technology to help combat vaping. Here in Volusia County, those efforts are ongoing.
DeLand High is one of the many Volusia County campuses inundated by vape pens.
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"I'll be trying to go to the bathroom and then, you know, there'll be stalls taken up by kids just vaping. It just really sucks. It's all over the school, sadly," said Ayden Molina, a sophom*ore student at DeLand High School.
Molina shares the smoke in the bathroom is sometimes unbearable.
"People [school staff] are always having to barge into the bathrooms, male and female bathrooms, and just catching them," he added. "It could be vaping, could be up to weed, even, and it just smells horrible up in there."
Because of this uptick, Molina said, during class changes, one staff member has the sole job of keeping an eye on the students.
"She sits at the very front between the two bathrooms," he said. "She'll just be there, and if she starts to smell anything, hear anything about that, she'll walk in and get rid of it or call an administrator."
Volusia County Schools Coordinator of Student Services Nathanial Anderson shares this is just one of many extra measures some schools have.
"Any time a school can muster up extra supervision, it always helps," said Anderson. "Always. DeLand is not the only school that utilizes teachers and staff members for extra supervision."
School board member Carl Persis also mentioned there are nearly 200 smoke detectors installed in bathrooms across different middle and high schools to help catch students.
And it's not something the school has necessarily advertised.
"I didn't even know about that at all, actually," said Molina.
Many students have also started using the Fortify App this school year to anonymously report classmates who vape.
With all these measures in place, as of early February, the district has had 810 vape incidents.
They're on track to top last school year after they had nearly 1,300 incidents of vape and tobacco for the 22-23 academic year.
"We may have had more last year than we do," Persis said. "But this year, we seem to be catching more students."
It is unclear whether all the additional measures to help stop vaping in schools are working.
One thing we know, many students hope the district gets it under control.
"I think it affects relationships as well in school," said Molina. "Because when you're that guy that doesn't want to do all of that, but you have a friend that starts doing it, it really can break up a lot of stuff."
The district has also ramped up education efforts, teaching students about the dangers of vaping.
They didn't share any plans to help get vaping under control in schools, but they are evaluating current practices to determine what should change for the following year.
Top headlines:
- Orange County sheriff: Deputy opened fire when suspect jumped out of rideshare vehicle with gun
- Brevard sheriff: Husband of missing woman found dead arrested for murder
- Orlando Commissioner Regina Hill arrested, accused of elderly exploitation
