The consequences for being caught with a vape pen or e-cigarette on a school campus rose dramatically on Sept. 1, when a new state law was enacted.
House Bill 114 was passed by state lawmakers in May, requiring students to be removed to an alternative disciplinary campus if they are caught on, or within 300 feet of, a school campus with an e-cigarette. Before the law was passed, school administrators struggled with what to do with students who possessed vape pens on campus due to testing requirements. Previously, the devices had to be tested for THC content in order to decide consequences for the student.
The new law removes the guesswork for administrators, who are now required to send any and all students to an alternative disciplinary campus- known within Austin ISD as the Alternative Learning Center (ALC).. The law also covers any school-sponsored or school-related activity on or off school property. Students caught selling or under the influence also fall under the new law.
Dr. Susan Thames, assistant principal for the New Tech Academy, said she has already had to send 14 students to the ALC because of the new law.
“Sadly, New Tech (Academy) had the first one on the first day of school,” she said. “Even after all the slideshows and the warning being sent to ALC, many students still are vaping. I have two students that got caught with vape pens today.”
The thing that really worries me, is kids don’t know what they’re getting in the vape pen
— Assistant principal Dr. Susan Thames
All of the Akins academy principals have had to send students to ALC this year, and warned students about the new law during academy assemblies at the beginning of the school year.
Thames said ALC offers the Invest Program for first-time offenders, which provides classes and counseling related to misdemeanor-level drug or alcohol offenses. Students who successfully complete the program can return to their home campuses after 10 days, which is half the time of a typical 20-day ALC placement.
Some Akins students who responded to an online survey by The Eagle’s Eye said they supported the new, stiffer penalties for possessing vape pens on campus.
The INVEST program must be offered each time a secondary student is assigned to DAEP for misdemeanor level drug or alcohol offenses. After successfully completing INVEST the student may return to the home campus following the last INVEST class, with a minimum of ten successful days. Parent involvement is optional.
Normal time spent in the alternative learning center is twenty days
The INVEST program must be offered each time a secondary student is assigned to DAEP for misdemeanor level drug or alcohol offenses. After successfully completing INVEST the student may return to the home campus following the last INVEST class, with a minimum of ten successful days. Parent involvement is optional.
Normal time spent in the alternative learning center is twenty days
“It lets kids gain some support outside of their friend group and family, and those resources (if they care enough) can change their outcome in their choices and hopefully stop them from hurting themselves further,” wrote a student on the survey.
Another student said that being removed to ALC was a “fitting punishment.”
The INVEST program must be offered each time a secondary student is assigned to DAEP for misdemeanor level drug or alcohol offenses. After successfully completing INVEST the student may return to the home campus following the last INVEST class, with a minimum of ten successful days. Parent involvement is optional.
Normal time spent in the alternative learning center is twenty days
“You don’t need to bring that to school,” they wrote.
Other students said that while they agreed with the law, they doubted that it would significantly reduce the amount of vaping by students. According to the results of The Eagle’s Eye survey, about 37 percent of respondents said they believed it would cut down on vaping while another 37 percent said it would not. Others said they were unsure.
Dr. Thames said she is concerned about the health effects that vaping is having on teenagers. She said she resents how the manufacturers of vape pens seem to be catering to young people with their packaging and marketing of the products.
“I think it’s really sad to me, and it’s affecting our students,” she said. “At the time, students think ‘Oh, well, this is something that I want to try’ or ‘It can’t affect me.’ But, you know, research is showing that there are some long-term effects.”
