OUR VIEW: Vaping a nationwide issue in schools

Published 11:30 am Wednesday, January 26, 2022

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The Food and Drug Administration has called youth vaping an epidemic. According to the American Lung Association, e-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco products among children. About 12% of high school students nationwide vape and approximately 20% use at least one type of tobacco product.

Those numbers are alarming because it’s clear that students don’t understand the dangers of vaping and how it will impact their health long-term.

The Troup County School System has tried to battle this problem by purchasing Halo Smart Sensors. These sensors sound an alarm when they detect vaping, smoking or a loud noise that might indicate a fight or something out of the ordinary going on.

Although students are smart and always test even the best technology, it should be comforting to parents that TCSS is doing what it can to keep vaping — and others issues — out of our schools.

This epidemic is only going to get worse unless we do something about it. We’re glad TCSS has decided to take this step, hopefully making it much tougher to vape in our schools.