A lot of students in North Texas have been put into disciplinary alternative education programs because of a new state law aimed at stopping minors from vaping on school grounds.
HB 114 The law has caused hundreds of students in the Dallas area to be sent to disciplinary alternative education programs this school year after it was put into effect on September 1, 2023. It was similar to the VAPE=DAEP initiative, where any student found with a vape device on campus or within 300 feet of school property or a school-sponsored event would face DAEP placement.
Approximately 45% of the 300 DAEP students in Duncanville ISD were there due to vaping. Mesquite ISD had the second largest share, with 39.8% of its 517 DAEP students in for vaping as of February 1, reported The Dallas Morning News. reported.
Richardson ISD had 365 students in DAEP, and about 29.6% were in for vaping, similar to Garland ISD, where there were 563 students in DAEP, with 29% in for vaping.
Dallas ISD had a total of 2,351 students in DAEP, with a much lower percentage there for vaping (12.5%) compared to other nearby school districts. However, the district has struggled for years with academics, with only 41% of students in the district performing at grade level on their STAAR exams, and nearly 20% of students in the Class of 2022 graduating in four years, when the statewide average was 90%. scored In a separate report, the Texas Health and Human Services found that 11.2% of high school students in Texas said they used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days in 2021, and 5.6% of middle school students reported using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days.
A report What other measures are schools taking?
Duncanville ISD
The district partnered with Youth 180 to provide drug prevention and education for students. The district also works with the North Texas Behavioral Health Authority to educate parents, students, and employees on drug prevention and mental health.
Duncanville ISD also offers several vaping and e-cigarette parent resources on its website.
Students in the district undergo a conference or hearing before going to DAEP. First offenses require a five-day substance abuse intervention program before returning to their regular campus. Parents are also required to join a half-day orientation, as per reports. posted.
Dallas ISD
Second offenses lead to a full placement with additional substance intervention support. Parents are also obliged to participate in a substance abuse informational session. Dallas ISD.
Mesquite ISD
The district does not have any information on its vaping policies or HB 114 on its website. However, e-cigarettes, vaping, and marijuana are listed as prohibited items under its student code of conduct. The district does provide a fentanyl facts guide, which includes various information on the lethal opioid.
Richardson ISD tabThe district has put together a tobacco response and education intervention plan.
Richardson ISD also offers Saturday drug prevention classes for families and has partnered with Defensive Line. The Live Wise/Live Healthy program in Richardson ISD has been reimagined to address more drug prevention work within the community.
In January, the penalty for students caught with a nicotine vape is reduced from 30 to 10 days if they take a mandatory nicotine course, as reported by DMN. The effects of vaping nicotine on young people can include potential harm to the developing teenage brain, especially the areas of the brain that regulate attention, learning, and impulse control, changes in memory connections called synapses, and increased risk of future addiction to other substances, according to the CDC. Due to a new state law aimed at addressing minors vaping on school grounds, a significant number of students in North Texas have been placed in disciplinary alternative education programs. HB 114 has led to hundreds of students in the Dallas area being sent to disciplinary alternative education programs (DAEP) this school year.
As of January, the punishment for students caught with a nicotine vape falls from 30 to 10 days when a mandatory nicotine course is taken, according to DMN.
Some effects that vaping nicotine can have on youth include harm to the developing adolescent brain, particularly the parts of the brain that control attention, learning, and impulse control, changes in memory connections known as synapses, and increased risk of future addiction to other drugs, according to the CDC.
