Northwest R-1 school officials said they have been seeing a sharp increase in students using vaping devices at school, and many of those devices contain marijuana.
Jessica DiPaolo, the district’s director of administrative services, said she hopes efforts to educate students about the harmful effects of drug use and vaping will help curb the problem this school year, which began Aug. 23.
DiPaolo said teachers already have begun sharing information with students about the health-related dangers related to vaping and drug use and warning them about consequences they face if they’re found using them at school.
When students are found with drugs or alcohol at school, a “superintendent hearing” is held, which means the student is required to meet with DiPaolo, who recommends a punishment that must be approved by Superintendent Jennifer Hecktor.
DiPaolo said superintendent hearings also may be required for students who demonstrate aggressive behavior or assault others or who bring weapons to school. The hearings also may be held because of sexual misconduct or harassment.
However, DiPaolo said, the majority of the hearings are held because of students found with drugs at school, students found under the influence of drugs or students found vaping marijuana.
She said the number of superintendent hearings have been on the rise, and most of the hearings are for students found with marijuana or THC – the active ingredient in marijuana.
DiPaolo said most of the marijuana the students are found with is contained in vaping devices.
She also said that while the school district does not have the capability to test each vape for drugs, most of them contain marijuana or THC.
“Most often, in these cases, the student is clearly under the influence, and they most often admit it,” DiPaolo said.
Last school year, the district had 117 superintendent hearings with students, and 67 of those were related to drug possession. Of those 67 drug possession hearings, 43 involved high school students and 24 middle school students, DiPaolo said.
Those numbers were significantly higher than the 2020-2021 school year, when a total of 55 superintendent hearings were held, many relating to drug possession. However, the numbers could have been lower at least partly because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had many students learning from home for part of the year, DiPaolo said.
“We were hybrid, so half of our students were here half the time,” she said.
DiPaolo said she did not have the number of superintendent hearings held during the 2019-2020 school year because the end-of-year report was not completed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the 2018-2019 school year, a total of 89 superintendent hearings were held, she said.
DiPaolo said the school district also saw many students disciplined for infractions last school year, including 85 infractions for possession of nicotine, e-cigarette or vaping devices at the high school and 107 at the middle school level.
When a student commits an infraction, the result could vary, from a parent conference to a detention, superintendent hearing or even an in-school or out-of-school suspension, DiPaolo said.
“There’s a wide range because every situation is different, and every kid is different,” she said. “If you’re talking about something we deem more risky or dangerous, that would be something more like an in-school suspension or a couple of days out of school.”
DiPaolo said a student who is found with drugs or alcohol receives a 10-day suspension.
She said vaping both nicotine and marijuana is harmful.
“I don’t think we know as a society what the long-term effects on students, children and adult lungs are going to be,” she said. “I look at the vaping of nicotine as an easy stepping-stone.”
DiPaolo said she believes the problem is rising because vaping is easier for students to hide.
“Back in the old days when you had marijuana it was in a bag, and you had whatever you were going to smoke it in, and then also a lighter, so you had multiple items you had to carry with you,” she said. “It smelled strong. These new vaping devices, they don’t smell as strong.”
DiPaolo said students typically buy the nicotine and marijuana vapes online or from a person on Snapchat or Instagram. They also get the devices from an older sibling or take them from a family member, she said.
She said she believes a lot of the students use the marijuana to self-medicate.
“There’s typically something else going on in their life,” she said.
Education is key
At the start of this school year, high school teachers talked to students about expectations regarding their behavior and as part of that, presented information about drugs and alcohol. They also informed students about the punishment they are subject to if they’re caught with either drugs or alcohol, DiPaolo said.
“(Students) are often surprised that they are going to be out of school for a minimum of 10 days, but most likely more than 10 days because they’ve brought drugs into the school,” she said.
DiPaolo said parents can help curb the problem by being on the lookout for changes in their children and signs that could indicate their children are using drugs or alcohol.
“Does your kiddo have new friends? Do you know that friend group? Have their grades dropped? Have they stopped doing activities they used to enjoy? Are they spending a lot of time alone in their room? Are they distancing themselves?,” she said.
“Sometimes it is just them going through the teenage years, but major shifts in their motivation, their sleep pattern can be signs.”
DiPaolo said parents also should be on the lookout for the smell of marijuana.
She suggested parents talk with their children about drugs and alcohol and reach out to school counselors or teachers if they are worried their children may be using drugs or alcohol.
“Reach out because the more we support each other, the better for the students,” she said.
DiPaolo also suggested parents who suspect their children are using drugs or alcohol consult resources available at prevented.org and Comtrea.
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