![]( "A sign posted at West Nassau High School reminds students and visitors of the anti-tobacco and anti-drug policy on campus.")
A sign posted at West Nassau High School reminds students and visitors of the anti-tobacco and anti-drug policy on campus.
Flavorful, small and emitting little smoke, e-cigarettes prompt kids to light up – even on school campuses. And school officials have had enough.
In 2018, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office issued 20 citations for underage tobacco possession at Yulee Middle, 21 at Yulee High and one citation at West Nassau High School, according to Sheriff Bill Leeper. Compliance checks were also performed in stores across the county.
“I’m not able to distinguish between the type of tobacco or even cigarettes or e-cigarettes at this time, but we will start tracking that going forward,” Leeper wrote. “In our compliance buys of underage tobacco sales, we issued eight citations for tobacco sales to a minor and one for vape.”
WNHS officials want to extinguish the use of tobacco on campus.
According to a WNHS Facebook post Jan. 8, “Throughout the county and here at West Nassau, there has been a trend of students using vapes and JUULs on campus. Starting today, using these or other tobacco/nicotine products on campus will result in an automatic three-day, out-of-school suspension, as well as a tobacco citation, which includes a $25 fine, a court appearance and possible community service. Not only can using these products result in disciplinary action, but also health concerns for your student in the future, as described in this image. Parents please be vigilant of your child engaging in this behavior and students please consider the possible negative effects of using vapes and JUULs.”
The school’s social media post included a fact sheet graphic about the history of JUULs and the affects of using tobacco, including that “all JUUL e-cigarettes have a high level of nicotine” and, “according to the manufacturer, a single JUUL pod contains as much nicotine as a pack of 20 regular cigarettes.”
The tobacco products contain fruit or mint-flavored nicotine liquid refills or pods.
“Parents need to know that vaping devices can come in many forms that are easily concealable,” Leeper wrote. “They can resemble pens or USB flash drives. The visible smoke does not linger or leave a strong scent. E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices designed to deliver nicotine with flavorings and other chemicals to users in vapor instead of smoke. Some of the kids just think it’s fun – it’s fun to blow white smoke in the air. But there are serious health concerns with that. And the big concern is, when you introduce alcohol or drugs into a developing brain, the likelihood for addiction skyrockets. And that is the danger.”
Nassau County Schools Superintendent Dr. Kathy Burns responded via email about the WNHS post Jan. 9, writing, “Our district, as well as, school districts across the country, has seen a significant increase in the use of JUULs at both the middle and high school levels. We have had a board rule prohibiting electronic cigarettes, which would include JUULs for the past four years. The use or possession of tobacco products or paraphernalia is prohibited on all school campuses. This is a Class III violation in our Code of Student Conduct and will be disciplined accordingly.”
Class III violations are defined as, “Acts directed against persons or property and/or whose consequences may endanger the health or safety of others in the school,” including school buses and bus stops.
The 2017-18 Code of Student Conduct outlines possible actions taken when such infractions as the “use or possession of cigarettes and/or tobacco products or paraphernalia” occur.
Some of the disciplinary actions may be in-school suspension, corporal punishment, out-of-school or bus suspension or referral to law enforcement.
Leeper noted that an 8-year-old was caught with a smoking device at Callahan Intermediate School in 2017.
“The child got it from his house without his parents’ knowledge and took it to school,” he wrote. “The school called the parents and it was handled in-house.”
The sale of tobacco or nicotine and smoking devices, including e-cigarettes, to minors is prohibited.
“The Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco conduct compliance buy operations in Nassau County and throughout the state of Florida,” Leeper wrote. “Products must be under supervision of sales clerk(s) or in sight of the sales clerk. Establishments are required to post signs stating that sales to minors are prohibited.”
So far, most business owners are in compliance.
“We have attempted to buy these items using underage individuals in every vape shop in Nassau County, but were only successful in purchasing in one of them,” Leeper wrote. “It is unlawful to sell, deliver, barter, furnish or give, directly or indirectly, to any person who is under 18 years of age, any nicotine product or a nicotine dispensing device. Any person who violates this commits a misdemeanor of the second degree. It is unlawful for any person under 18 years of age to knowingly possess any nicotine product or a nicotine-dispensing device. Any person under 18 years of age who violates this commits a noncriminal violation. For a first violation, 16 hours of community service, or instead of community service, a $25 fine. In addition, the person must attend a school-approved anti-tobacco and nicotine program.”
In addition to compliance checks, the NCSO partners with various organizations to spread an anti-tobacco and anti-drug message.
“We teach the Drug Abuse Resistance Education in each fifth-grade class within the county to make students aware of the dangers of alcohol/drug/tobacco use as well as making good decisions,” the sheriff noted.