State College Area High School is considering installing vape detectors in bathrooms to stop students from vaping during school hours.
John Aston, State High’s school resource officer, worries that students are ignoring the side effects of vaping.
“All the reports out there with the safety issues, all of the heavy metals and the chemicals that are in the vapes, kids aren’t hearing it. They’re not paying attention to it. They’re not believing it,” Aston said.
Within the past year, at least three students have gone to the nurse’s office showing symptoms of overdosing on vapes, including fevers, headaches and vomiting.
The vape detection the district is considering would be placed on bathroom ceilings and make a noise similar to a fire-alarm.
The district is also using educational resources to alert students on the dangers of vaping, including educational posters and discussions with Aston himself.
“The vape detectors alone aren’t going to solve the problem,” Aston said.
The State College Area School District has no timeline on installing the vape detection devices.
