As the school year begins, Principal Dahlen announced at the class meetings that vape sensors would be placed in bathrooms at Fargo North. This announcement comes after last year’s “Vape Epidemic” at North High.

The sensors would detect moisture in the air caused by vaping and warn the school staff about it. Currently, no sensors are in any of the bathrooms and the date the sensors will be installed is still being decided.

The sensors will most likely heavily deter students from vaping on school property and Mr. Dahlen agrees. “We want to stop students from experimenting with vaping,” said Dahlen.

These sensors won’t be cheap though, each sensor costs about $1000. Most bathrooms only need one sensor, but some may need two sensors. The school did receive a grant to put these in.

Fargo North isn’t the only school trying these sensors out, other schools are also trying out vape sensors and detectors as well. One school in Texas has been using a sensor called Fly Sense since December 2018. Fly Sense detects moisture in the air and sends suspicious activity to school staff. Fly Sense also detects spikes in noise that may suggest violence such as bullying.

Many schools across America have been having issues with kids vaping. High Schoolers using vaping products went up 78% in 2018. One in four high school students reported current use of tobacco products according to the CDC. Vaping has brought nicotine addiction to a generation that was statistically not likely to get addicted to cigarettes.Colorful packaging and appealing flavors cause a lot of young people to try and get addicted to vaping.

The first reports of lung illnesses and deaths are being reported around America that have been tied to vaping, more specifically, likely from the vitamin E acetate found in THC vape products. The FDA regulations of vaping are weak, and many, including President Trump, are calling for a ban on flavored vapes. Some of the vaping companies have also been warned about making false and unproven claims, including that vaping is effectively safe and safer than cigarettes.

People who avidly vape are out raged by this ban. Many people claim that the good of vaping outweighs the bad. Some recovering cigarette smokers turn to vaping to stop smoking cigarettes. But the influence and reach the vape industry has on teens and young adults is too big to ignore and some action is needed.

Overall, vaping is a big issue in schools all over America. There’s no simple solution for fixing it but vape sensors could be a step in the right direction.