The Hall County School District has been working for months on an initiative to combat vaping on school campuses, but school officials admit it's an uphill battle.
Kevin Bales, the Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, told members of an ad hoc vaping committee this past week that during this year alone more than one dozen Hall County students suffered reactions so severe to vaping, they had to be taken from school campuses to the hospital. Bales called the issue an "epidemic."
"Typically, you might have that accidental fall on a playground, but to have [that many students] - related with vaping - to be transported is a number that's really hard [to imagine] in Hall County," Bales said.
The emergency transports have occurred across the county, according to Bales, who said the problem is not isolated to one or two schools. He said while there have been no emergency transports from middle schools, some middle schoolers have experienced problems because of vape use.
"We've had numerous situations at middle schools where we've found kids that are in distress and fortunately, we are able to do an assessment, bring parents in and those parents figure out what's best...going to the doctor or the hospital or the emergency room," Bales said.
In last Thursday's committee meeting, school district officials said one of the biggest obstacles to overcome with vape use is getting parents to understand how dangerous vaping can be. Many believe vaping is a safe alternative to smoking, not understanding the adverse effects a child may suffer with vape use.
Part of the plan - in addition to implementing new disciplinary guidelines for campus vape use - is community education. A public forum is set for October, although a specific date has not been set at this point. Partnership for a Drug Free Hall will headline the program.
*EDITOR'S NOTE: Mamie Coker, Health Services Coordinator for the Hall County School District, said in an email statement on Sunday, 13 students were transported to the ER after 911 contacts from various schools. In addition, four students needing professional medical follow-up, yet stable enough to be taken by parent (per parent request) were taken to the ER or to a healthcare provider. Coker said the numbers, valid as of Friday, May 17, came from information provided by school nurses.
Follow these links to read previous stories on the work of the ad hoc vaping committee:
Follow these links to read previous stories on the work of the ad hoc vaping committee:
