Miami-Dade high schools install sensors in bathrooms to detect vaping
MIAMI - Nine Miami-Dade high schools have installed vaping sensors in student bathrooms, and Broward schools are considering similar measures.
Sunset High School in West Kendall is one of the schools to declare war on teen vaping, having already suspended nine students.
"Many teenagers are under the impression that vaping is a lesser of smoking and it is not," said Guillermo Muñoz, director at the Miami-Dade Office of District Operations, who is in charge of installing the sensors at the public high schools.
"Any time anyone utilizes a vape in any of the restrooms, that vape will send an alert to the (school) principal," said Muñoz.
Rudy Rodriguez, the principal of Sunset High School, said they get notified on their phones through an app about cases of possible vaping. Cameras are installed outside bathrooms, recording which students come and go from bathrooms.
Rodriguez said one-time offenses lead to a warning and parents are contacted. Multiple offenses could lead to a suspension of three days, he said
"The CDC has said over 2 million students in the U.S. are using vaping devices," said Miami Brenda Wilder, the executive director of Miami-Dade Comprehensive Student Health Services. "Students can have respiratory issues, cardiovascular issues, memory loss and more."
In Miami-Dade, the University of Miami found an increase in teens in just under a decade.
Teens using E-cigarettes in Miami-Dade County went from 2.6% in 2012 to 16.5% in 2021, according to the University of Miami Health Education Center.
Miami Jackson High School and Homestead High School are on the list of schools with devices installed.
Per Miami-Dade Public Schools, the other campuses are not revealed because the principals want their names retained.
Broward County Schools say they are considering installing vape sensors in their schools.