VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – New data is in, and school districts around Central Florida reported they had major jumps in issues with students vaping on campus in 2024 compared to 2023.
The districts based the data on the number of referrals given out during a three-month stretch.
Volusia County schools in particular reported an 80% jump. The district said it gave out 289 referrals in 2023 from January to the end of March, and in 2024, it gave out 521 during that same stretch.
“We put technology into our schools like vape detectors, so our admin team has a weapon to use to tell what’s going on,” said district spokesman Greg Trechetta.
Trechetta said the higher referral numbers mean the technology is working, but more teens are vaping.
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“It’s not healthy, and it’s a discipline issue. If you get busted in a high school multiple times for this, you could face suspension or expulsion, so now your little habits turned into a life-altering event,” he said.
The district said technology and discipline only go so far at this point.
“Sending kids home for vaping leads them to vaping at home, so that’s not necessarily the best solution,” he said.
The district is now working with the State Attorney’s Office to roll out a new educational campaign in the fall.
And starting in August, Sheriff Mike Chitwood said his office is bringing back the D.A.R.E program to hopefully drill into students’ minds the dangers of nicotine addiction and what’s really in the vape they’re getting off the street.
“The answer, in my opinion, is more parents becoming parents and more education,” he said. “The overwhelming majority of these kids are testing positive for THC oil, but in that THC oil, we’re also coming up with traces of fentanyl, traces of meth, traces of heroin.”
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