Lincoln Unified adds sensors to high school campus restrooms to catch students vaping

By Tori Apodaca

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    STOCKTON, California (KOVR) — The Lincoln Unified School District in Stockton is not just cracking down on students who are using their cell phones this year, but also those who are caught vaping.

“Honestly it would come in handy because practically every student in Lincoln smokes,” said Gabriella Ponce who is a senior at Lincoln High.

The drug-free signs have not stopped her classmates from vaping on campus.

“One of the challenges is it is a prevalent activity in young people,” said Lincoln Unified Superintendent Kelly Dextrace.

Dextrae said it installed vape sensors in restrooms on their two high school campuses. The devices are designed to detect emitted vapor that reaches a specific level, sending a silent alert to administrators.

“We also have students who are afraid to use the restrooms because they report that they aren’t able to access the restrooms because large groups of students are vaping,” Dextrace said.

Vape sensors have been installed in other school campuses across the country and Dextrace said it has been a plan in the works for years at Lincoln. Its devices are more hidden in the restrooms than what a smoke alarm may look like.

“If they are not going to get discipline for it, they’re not going to stop,” said Barbara Powell whose granddaughter is a student at Lincoln High.

The discipline will be progressive according to Dextrace. The first time a student is caught vaping, they will be enrolled into a six-week on-campus substance abuse group.

“It’s designed to really inform students about the consequences of e-cigarettes and other types of substances,” Dextrace said.

The program has existed for years.

“I know a few students who were put in groups after being caught smoking and honestly it didn’t really do anything,” Ponce said.

If a student continues to get caught vaping on campus, they will face detention, suspension and in extreme cases – expulsion.

“I think it will help deter them from smoking,” Powell said.

Dextrace said they are trying to put a stop to smoking in school to increase safety for everyone, but some students wonder if it will just make kids sneakier.

“They are still going to do it but be more careful about it,” Ponce said.

Lincoln Unified has been back to school for about two weeks and Dextrace said there have already been multiple students who have been caught with the new sensors and placed in substance abuse groups.

“I am grateful that we’ve made this choice to take another step to increasing the safety of our students on our campuses,” Dextrace said.

Currently, the vape sensors are only on the district’s two high school campuses. Dextrace may look into expanding it to middle school campuses in the future.

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