Vape detectors to be installed at LPOSD schools

SANDPOINT — Vape detectors are in the future of many Idaho schools — including all three Lake Pend Oreille School District high schools — thanks to a recent Idaho Department of Education grant the district received earlier this month.

The Vape Detector Pilot grant is funded by the Idaho Millennium Fund to prevent vaping before it starts, and to provide staff with an added resource to successfully intervene and assist students in areas equipped with detectors.

“It's no secret that vaping has become an epidemic on school campuses across the nation, with vaping rates increasing among teens each year,” Kristina Gavin, LPOSD school nurse, said. “With the addition of our two armed security officers this school year, along with support from building administration and other key staff, we are more equipped to tackle the vaping issues at hand.”

With e-cigarette companies often marketing to youth, many of their products are purposefully designed for concealment, which creates difficulty for teachers and staff to catch vaping activity, Gavin said. 

In addition to monitoring high schools, LPOSD secondary schools are engaged in daily conversation about prevention, intervention, and problem solving to deter and decrease the growing health threat, she said.

The detectors that the district is considering will accurately discern the unique chemical composition of various aerosols, including vape smoke and THC. The sensors can also differentiate intentionally masking vaping behavior by using aerosols to cover up vaping, Gavin said. The district plans to install the detectors before the start of the 2024-’25 school year. Once installed, the sensors will provide selected staff real-time alerts when vaping activities are detected. 

“Vape detectors will help us better enforce vape free policies, but more importantly provide early intervention for students caught vaping and raise awareness about the dangers of vaping,” Gavin said. “Our need for vape detectors also extends to protecting the health and safety of other LPOSD students from exposure to secondhand aerosol.”

Debbie Critchfield, Idaho superintendent of public instruction, said that putting the right tools to address vaping into the hands of the state’s school districts is an important first step in tackling vaping related challenges and ensuring the health of students and educational communities.

“I hope that schools find this equipment to be an effective new resource in safeguarding the health and well-being of their students,” Critchfield said.

Of the 59 eligible applicants, 31 local education agencies were awarded funding. To receive funding, awardees were asked to provide evidence of a need for vape detectors, including details about  their current prevention and intervention efforts, incident reports of vaping in the 2022-’23 and 2023-’24 school years and a proposed budget for purchasing, installing and any additional costs, state officials said in a press release.