Auburn City Schools Combat Student Vaping with Innovative Detection Program

AUBURN, Ala. (WRBL) – Auburn City Schools administrators are taking proactive measures to combat the rising issue of student vaping. The school has initiated a vape detection pilot program, emphasizing the administration’s commitment to prioritizing student health and safety.

Justin Long, system administrator at Auburn City Schools, highlighted the critical insights provided by the sensors: “The sensors can provide critical insights into undesirable behavior. They can detect things such as vaping through a rise in CO2 levels. They can also detect noise levels and crowds, which can often lead to undesirable events. It could be fights. It could be bullying. Those alerts automatically get sent to an administrator’s cell phone. They get a message or pop-up saying hey, this restroom has high noise levels or this restroom has vape.”

If vaping is detected, cameras outside the bathroom are alerted simultaneously. “The camera event gets triggered with the vape event, so when you see one, you see the other, and you don’t have to go back and search the timeline. It just pops up right there on the screen – this is when the vaping occurred,” said Long.

The implementation of these sensors has led to a swift decrease in vaping incidents on campus. Long shared, “This monthly chart shows – the first month we put them in. We were at 148 alerts – the next month, it dropped to 85 – and this current month, we are only at 41 – so you can clearly see the trending downward of events happening here at the high school – and that’s great news.”

Assistant Principal Jamie Rice expressed gratitude for the resources available, stating, “We are blessed here at Auburn City Schools to have the resources available to install any useful technology. It’s been a great addition to our campus just to help us guide the students to help them make healthy decisions and keep them safe while they are here at Auburn High School.”

Plans are underway to install detectors in every high school bathroom over the summer, with discussions about extending the program to lower grades.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), youth vaping rates have been a growing concern. In 2020, approximately 19.6% of high school students and 4.7% of middle school students reported current use of electronic cigarettes. E-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product among both middle and high school students in the United States, with flavored e-cigarettes being popular among high school users.

The Surgeon General has declared e-cigarette use among youth an epidemic due to the rapid increase in use and the potential long-term health effects, including addiction to nicotine. Vaping can harm brain development, affect respiratory health, and lead to addiction, with cases of severe lung injury associated with vaping.

The proactive measures taken by Auburn City Schools to address student vaping are a step towards promoting a healthier and safer environment for students.