LPS has started the 2023-2024 school year by placing new vape detectors in the bathrooms at East High. Their goal is to fight nicotine addiction in teenagers by using the money that they won in a lawsuit against Juul Labs Inc. In January of 2021, LPS joined a nationwide lawsuit against the company. The allegations claimed that Juul was using bright colors, sites, and channels popular amongst the youth to advertise to teenagers. After two years, Juul paid $1.7 billion to school districts across the country and LPS got $1 million from it.
The detectors have been going off incredibly often with 15 alarms being set off before 8:30 am on one day. Students who have never vaped are susceptible to having their time wasted because of the students who do.
“Honestly at this point I’ve just stopped using the bathroom all together,” an anonymous source said. “Like, I’m not worried that I’m gonna get in trouble for doing something but I keep hearing stories about kids getting caught in the crossfire.”
If students don’t cooperate and agree to a pat down, they’re likely to be suspended for three days. Protocol states that if the alarm goes off in one bathroom, then the other sex’s bathroom has to be evacuated too.
“I was washing my hands while someone was vaping and the guard outside was asking if I had vaped,” another anonymous source said. “I said I was just washing my hands, they said okay and had me empty my pockets. It made me feel weird because I thought that wouldn’t happen.”
If all goes well at East, then in the 2024-2025 school year LPS will be implementing the vape detectors in all other schools across the district.
