Students are still getting caught in the bathrooms with a vape pen in tow. But a new national survey and EHS experts say it is happening on fewer occasions.
In recent years, teen vaping throughout schools has been on a steady decline. Though some may think it is still a problem in both our EHS community and others, the numbers from the Centers for Disease Control show that vaping is a dying trend among teens. In 2023 alone, around two million teens which is about 7.7% of the youth could be seen vaping, now in September of 2024, that number has declined to about only 5.9%.
Englewood High School’s school resource officer, Officer Shaw Gifford addresses the decline within the high school level when it comes to vaping. Gifford says, “I would definitely say the trend is on the down-slope, a little bit at least, and what I’ve seen this year, I’m dealing with a lot less at the high school level. And like I was talking about before speaking with security monitors and speaking with the students themselves, they have also reported seeing it less in the high school.”
Along with the rest of the youth, the number of people vaping within our school has also declined, though some may say otherwise.
When Mateo Cruz, a sophomore in EHS, was asked if he was aware that the number of teens vaping was declining he replied, “No, I did not. I’ve seen someone vaping in school, in the bathrooms every day when I go in there, and it’s a big problem in our school and our community.”
Senior Riley Ferguson insists vaping shouldn’t be taking place at school, “People should not be vaping in school. There’s a time and a place for that.” Ferguson suggests that vaping should be stopped because of the lifelong effects of it, “I don’t think [vaping is] good for you because it can lead toxic metals into your lungs.”
School resource officer Gifford further elaborates on the idea of certain effects that vaping can smoking can have on a teenage brain, “The high is much bigger than it was previously. So we get into that and the effects that it can have, the tremendous effects, negative effects that it can have on your brain, and not allowing you to have the temperament and behaviors that you would normally display in a school environment. It’s very concerning because it makes these kids not as motivated to do what they should be doing.”
Gifford says the reduction in vape issues allows him to focus on other pressing issues, “A couple years ago, the school resource officer spent a lot of time dealing with the vaping issue and substances that were on campus. It still takes time to write out the ticket, call the parents. It’s the same process as it would be for any other crime. So it takes up a lot of our time when we do find it, this can be a ticket for drug paraphernalia or having the THC contents, the tobacco contents in the vape. It’s still all the same process and takes a lot of time to deal with.”
The trend away from vape pens is welcome, “I would definitely say the trend is on the down slope, a little bit at least, and what I’ve seen this year, I’m dealing with a lot less at the high school level. And like I was talking about before speaking with security monitors and speaking with the students themselves, they have also reported seeing it less in the high school,” Gifford said.
Cruz would like to see it stop altogether inside and outside of school, “[Vaping is] a big problem in our community, and it’s rotting our society, we need a ban on vaping forever.”
