Dear Families:
Cedar Vale Schools is striving to collaborate with our families concerning student vaping. This is not only a Cedar Vale Schools' issue but a national issue impacting students as early as sixth grade. The purpose of this letter is to partner with our families regarding the issue, give you resources if you feel your child is involved in this kind of behavior, as well as alert you to possible repercussions if your child engages in vaping or in possession of vaporizers on school property, school transportation and/or school events. We take this issue very seriously due to the negative health effects that vaping can have on our students and the negative impact it has here at school. We want to help support our students in making responsible and good choices by providing educational resources to our families as well as our students.
Vaporizers/e-cigarettes come in all different shapes and sizes. Some common styles look like a thick pen, a stylus for an iPad, a flash drive, or a small flask with a round chimney coming off the top. The devices are very small and can easily be hidden on a person or blend in with normal backpack items. This makes it very difficult to address effectively in the school setting.
When students vape in school it can be due to an addiction to nicotine, a peer pressure issue, or they are simply curious and want to try it out. In any case, spending excessive time out of class is directly correlated to lower grades and difficulty in understanding the class materials. Additionally, vaping on school grounds negatively impacts our school learning environment. There are monitoring tools that may help schools identify high vaping areas that we may consider in the future to assist us in eliminating this issue.
Vaping and/or possession of vaporizers is prohibited at school, on school property, transportation and school events. The consequence for possession and/or use at school is in-school suspension, possible out of school suspension and may include counseling services and/or law enforcement. Athletes may have further consequences as well.
We hope you find this informative and understand our concerns about this potentially harmful issue. Our goal is to partner with our families to help support our students in making positive, responsible decisions for themselves and their future. We encourage you to have a conversation with your student(s) about this topic. You may find these links helpful: Quick Facts on the Risks of E-cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults | CDC https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/242465/CDC_Tip_Sheet_on_Vaping.pdf. As we learn more, we will certainly share information. Thank you for your attention to this issue and your continued support.
Sincerely,
Jackie Burdette, Principal