North Texas School Districts Punishing Students Caught Sneaking In E-Cigarettes, 'Stealth Vaping' A Growing Problem
RICHARDSON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - School districts across Texas are now onto students who are finding creative new ways to sneak e-cigarettes on campus.
Only weeks into the new school year, educators on an aggressive mission to smoke out students who try to vape at school.
Richardson ISD is one of several area school districts warning students they could face felony charges in some cases.
Only nine days into this school year, six students are already facing in-school suspensions and one has been expelled, facing a felony charge related to e-cigarettes.
School leaders say the gadgets show that e-cigarettes are so addictive, students have resorted to hiding them in smart watches and key fobs to sneak them inside classrooms.
Both Richardson ISD and Frisco ISD are warning students if they are caught with e-cigarettes that contain THC, which is commonly found in the pods with CBD oil, they will face expulsion and a felony charge.
In fact, Richardson says it expelled 30 students during the last school year for this.
Officials there have created a public awareness video with police that students were required to watch last week.
Frisco ISD has launched a student prevention program called, Catch My Breath and in three weeks, will host a meeting to teach parents how to spot decoy devices that can easily be purchased online.
"The way that people maybe used to hide things in their shoe or in a wallet or in a highlighter, they are able to hide things in watches," said Stephanie Cook, Frisco ISD Managing Director of Guidance and Counseling. "They're able to hide it. Things that look just like your smart watch."
"Bringing those things on campus and just having those things in general are going to lead to significant consequences to them if they are caught," said Dr. Matthew Gibbins, Richardson ISD Chief Executive Director of Student Services.
The message these districts want to send is vaping isn't just bad for people's health, it can also seriously impact a teenager's education and lead to a serious criminal record.