STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU) — Officials with the Stevens Point Area School District voted to bring their rules regarding electronic cigarettes in line with recently passed ordinances by the Stevens Point City Council on Monday.
Brigitta Altmann-Austin, the assistant Principal at SPASH, says it has always been illegal for students to use the devices on school grounds, but now it’s also illegal to possess any paraphernalia that goes with them.
“They are more readily available, and it’s becoming an issue,” said Altmann-Austin. She adds that falling in line with the city’s ordinance was just one of the factors in the decision. Others induced the simple fact that it’s illegal for anyone under 18 to use nicotine, and the lack of knowledge about the products. “We don’t know about all the chemicals that are in these products, they haven’t been researched enough for us to know.”
She compares it to when cigarettes were first introduced. “We didn’t know the cancerous effects they caused, and I believe in the future that’s what will happen with these different chemicals that are in these vape juices. We just don’t know yet, and that’s the part we are trying to educate our students on.”
Not every vaping cartridge contains nicotine, but Altman-Austin says there’s currently no way to tell the difference, another reason for the all-out ban.
Recent studies have shown that up to a quarter of Portage County teens admit to having tried vaping, well above the state average of 13%. Altmann-Austin says because of that the school has increased the number of bathroom checks they do on a daily basis to catch students who may be vaping in the stalls during class time. Anyone caught doing so could be subject to a range of punishments.
“They can range anywhere from detention to in-school suspensions or out-of-school suspensions, it depends on the severity.” She says it could also depend on the violation, from using on school grounds to selling or trading the cartridges, or the disciplinary history of the student involved.
As part of the policy, Altmann-Austin says the district plans continuing education for both students and parents on the matter. An informational session was held as part of the fall parent-teacher conferences that she says will likely be repeated in the spring. An additional advisory period may also be added in the coming year to help students understand the risks as well.
