Vaping

NutmeggeRN, BSN · Jan 15, 2019

We have changed our policy to include all vaping related items as drug parafunalia...there are now steep consequences for having this stuff at school.

BrisketRN, BSN, RN · Jan 15, 2019

Someone found a vape pen in the boy's locker room last school year. Rumor had it that a group of middle school boys were vaping, so our guidance counselor brought in a speaker who did a student talk & a parent talk on drugs with a concentration on vaping.

Vape pens are put on the same level as cigarettes here--even if you're 18, you can't have it in school.

Eleven011 · Jan 15, 2019

It is happening here quite a bit too, and has consequences the same as smoking or drugs. Lots of suspensions given for vaping on school grounds or having a pen in there possession. I haven't been asked to put any programs together, but I know our local SADD chapter has done some things and the local officers have been in to speak to kids. I hope this is one fad that goes away soon!!

Guests · Jan 15, 2019

55 minutes ago, Eleven011 said:
It is happening here quite a bit too, and has consequences the same as smoking or drugs. Lots of suspensions given for vaping on school grounds or having a pen in there possession. I haven't been asked to put any programs together, but I know our local SADD chapter has done some things and the local officers have been in to speak to kids. I hope this is one fad that goes away soon!!

Sadly I don;t think this problem is going away. I think the stuff is too easily accessible, and too easy to hide. Really makes me crazy. I have a 13 year old son in 7th grade and he tells me at his school in the bathrooms there are always 7th and 8th graders in there vaping. ?

Jenniferocious · Jan 15, 2019

Hello ? I've been a member of allnurses forever but I haven't posted much. I am a school nurse now on my second full year (I was a sub prior to that).

I work with 6-8 grade. We have a serious vaping problem in our district (mainly high school and my middle school). These kids are tricky with their supplies, they look like regular everyday things that would go unnoticed if you weren't looking specifically for it.

My issue is .. I'm wondering if there is a correlation between vaping and elevated BG in a type 1 diabetic? I know nicotine can cause your BG to rise, but I wasn't sure how it would effect a diabetic? Also, the glycerine they add to it for that fruity flavor.. I'm wondering if that could make a difference?

I have a student (I won't say male or female) who can easily get out of class due to their T1D to come to "my office " and check his/her BG. Most of the time it is slightly elevated, but nothing we can really do at that time besides assess and encourage water. I've caught them sneaking around after he/she comes to see me at their locker and then trying to get to the bathroom and dodging me every which way they can. There have been reports that he/she has been caught vaping in the bathroom as well.

I'm just curious if anyone has seen a correlation between the two or if I'm just looking for something that doesn't exist. It is such a problem here, it is so frustrating and I don't know how to get through to these kids to tell them how potentially dangerous this could be.

Any insight would be great. Thanks and looking forward to reading more on here... it's been a long time!!

SaltineQueen · Jan 16, 2019

This (as well as juuling) is a huge problem in our high school and becoming more of a problem in our middle school. All of our freshmen have to take a semester of Health & Wellness. Our SRO comes in and talks to them for a few days about vaping, juuling, and other activities. He would like to start doing talks at middle school as well.

Amethya · Jan 17, 2019

I had a student vape... during class... twice....

yeah...

Flare, ASN, BSN · Jan 18, 2019

this has been a big issue here as of late as well. The kids are doing all sorts of things to get away with it - cutting holes in their hoodies and hiding their vapes in there. Standing in groups outside and taking advantage of the winter dragon breath to try to mask one person vaping. The classic crowding in the bathroom. One person on here even posted a hoodie that is actually designed to hide a vape. I'm on the lookout for that. Point is that they will find a way to do it because they are kids. The only thing we can do is try to be proactive and tell each other about any clever tricks they may come up with. I got an offer for a PD class that i sent off to my principal, he never responded to me - maybe he's going or sending the guidance counselor.

Amethya · Jan 18, 2019

52 minutes ago, Flare said:
this has been a big issue here as of late as well. The kids are doing all sorts of things to get away with it - cutting holes in their hoodies and hiding their vapes in there. Standing in groups outside and taking advantage of the winter dragon breath to try to mask one person vaping. The classic crowding in the bathroom. One person on here even posted a hoodie that is actually designed to hide a vape. I'm on the lookout for that. Point is that they will find a way to do it because they are kids. The only thing we can do is try to be proactive and tell each other about any clever tricks they may come up with. I got an offer for a PD class that i sent off to my principal, he never responded to me - maybe he's going or sending the guidance counselor.

Wow hoodies? Good thing we got rid of the hoodies rule. NO hoodies allowed during the school day unless they are going outside and it's cold or PE has a outside thing going on and it's cold

aprilmoss · Jan 21, 2019

Yeah, vaping is harder to detect. Back when we were trying to stave off smoking (be it tobacco or worse), the smell usually gave them away. It's far too pervasive. We do our best with education, but kids will be kids. We can be aggressive when we do find the vape pens, etc... but I'm not sure what else.

There's been talk about adding cotinine testing to the drug testing program (mostly just for athletes in our district). The idea is that if we find a vape pen or other paraphernalia or get a hit on the testing (which we do know can be false positives if the kids hang around other smokers, including parents), we shunt them into a non-punitive nicotine awareness program (adapted from a smoking course updated for vapes).