Vaping has been a trend among high school students for a long time. On school grounds, students find ways to bypass or avoid being caught.
In California from 2016 – 2018 there has been a 2% increase in vaping among students rising to 10.9% of the population.
The issue with vaping can correlate with factors around students. The reasons vary as some vape because they like to and others do it because they’re trying to escape, temporarily forget, or deal with their own personal issues.
“You just prolong your issues and they just fester. And it’s usually always internal issues that you’re dealing with,” shared a senior who used to vape.
Generally, students fail to see the negative effects of vaping regardless of the purpose.
“Someone vaped in my classroom once during lunch. It goes back to the safety of the school,” said English teacher Marc Ampon.
Vapers, specifically students, often fail to see how it’s affecting others. Due to students commonly using bathrooms for vaping, people who try to use them for its intended purpose are unable to do so.
Students have been caught vaping before school, during lunch, and after school, with Mt. Eden being no different than other surrounding districts. Bathrooms are a hot spot for vapers because it is normally treated as a place for privacy and adds protection from cameras. Even during classes, students around campus still find ways to get around and do their business.
“Now, when I see people vaping in the bathroom, I just laugh,” said the senior ex-vaper. “They don’t realize how it’s actually going to bite them in the long run.”
Students that are suspended for vaping experience check-ups with counselors. In a way, this helps to see what the situation is for the student because actions by administrators differ from case to case. If they have been caught vaping a few times, they’re likely to receive a suspension rather than a verbal warning or just a call to their parents or guardians.
“If a student was suspended or something, when they come back, I make sure I’m checking in with them, providing sessions,” said Social-Emotional Counselor Adrienne Witherspoon. The issue is not something that is easily tolerated, as there are actual negative health effects to the people connected with vaping.
People who have experienced vaping, whether they tried it or enforces school rules that have to do with vaping, think there are negative health effects. These health effects are serious and have an impact not just for the user but also for the community as a whole.
