Vaping in local high schools is a point of great concern according to members of the Henry County Board of Education, as evidenced by a discussion period on the topic at the beginning of the board’s Oct. 14 regular meeting.

  Board vice chair Holly Cobb brought the item to the meeting agenda, saying that she was seeing an increasing number of reports in the national media about illnesses or even death from vaping and, after having a conversation with her own high-schooler, she felt a need to raise awareness in the school district.

  She cited a Centers for Disease Control report which states that 1.5 million more people vaped nationwide in 2018 than in 2017. Closer to home, just over 7 percent of Henry County students in grades 6-12 admitted to vaping in the past 30 days, according to the 2019 Georgia Student Health Survey.

  “I imagine that number is low,” she said. “Those are just the students who admitted it.”

  Calling for a public education campaign to be organized within the schools, Cobb pointed out that teachers likely could use some help in learning how to spot a vaping device.

  “A lot of them look like flash drives, which is normal for a student to have,” she said. “Our teachers have a big challenge in just identifying what a vaping device looks like.”

  Cobb relayed one news story she saw in which a student had a writing pen which converted to a vaping pen by simply taking off the top. “It just blows my mind how tricky these things are.”

  As she only recently became informed on the issue, she said that many parents in the district are probably unaware of the dangers faced by these products and how readily available they are. She noted that many administrators are making phone calls to parents on a weekly basis and getting pushback from some of those parents who insist that their children would never participate in such an activity.

  In addition to coming up with some kind of educational campaign, Cobb suggested addressing the issue during the board’s annual review of disciplinary policies.

  Fellow board member Sophe Pope voiced her agreement with the idea of district leaders being proactive, but she also stated that she was pleased to see recent examples of “youth-led campaigns,” citing one Union Grove student in particular who had organized several events in recent months and spoken to citizens on the issue. Pope encouraged other students to follow that example.

  “I think we should empower our students to have a voice in this,” she said. “They are going to listen to their peers before they listen to us.”

  All of the board members were in agreement on the need to move forward. Annette Edwards asked that the district set up an organized effort, such as a forum, as soon as possible. “The sooner everyone is informed on what to look for, the better for all of us,” she said.

  Superintendent Dr. Mary Elizabeth Davis pointed out that the current code of conduct does have a consequence for vaping in schools.

  “Our administrators are vigilant, but it does take more than that,” said Davis. “This is an opportunity for us to come together as a community on behalf of the health of our young people.”