By James Peters

SD73 reaches out to parents as e-cigarette use explodes

Feb 26, 2019 | 10:26 AM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops-Thompson School District officials say e-cigarette use has exploded, far outpacing tobacco use among the student population.

According to Sahali Secondary School Principal Rachael Sdoutz, vaping has become so prevalent that many students are trying to get away with it indoors — and that’s causing problems.

“It’s become a bit of an issue that we face in schools, whether students are participating in this and sneaking out of classrooms in the bathrooms and it becomes a management issue, and it’s interfering a little bit with their learning,” said Sdoutz.

E-cigarette use falls under the same District 73 disciplinary policy as tobacco smoking. It is not allowed on school property, but Sdoutz says because the odour isn’t as strong as tobacco cigarette smoke, some students think they won’t be caught using e-cigarettes indoors.

“There is an odour, for sure, but maybe not as much as the pungent odour of cigarette tobacco. But it’s harder to detect, a little bit, to see where it’s coming from if there is a group of kids in the bathroom, for example.”

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“Some of it is strictly a glycerol with some flavouring in it and some of it has nicotine. There are vapes out there that only have nicotine,” added Sdoutz. “The vape juice itself, it’s not regulated, so kids really don’t know, families don’t know really and truly what’s in that stuff.”

The school sent a letter home to parents Tuesday outlining the issue and giving them links to resources.

Sdoutz says it’s an effort to get parents on the same page as their students when it comes to knowledge of e-cigarette products and their uses.

“We feel, a lot of the times when we’re talking with parents, that they just aren’t informed. The point of the letter was just to let parents know that it’s an issue that’s facing students, and where they can go to get more information,” said Sdoutz.

A district presentation on vaping and cannabis use is planned for March 12, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Henry Grube Education Centre.

“It’s all about being informed. There are links on the letter that parents can go to to educate themselves,” said Sdoutz. “But it’s also about talking with your students and making sure that parents are aware and students are aware of potential outcomes and what it means — and just to be aware that your student is perhaps even engaging in this activity.”