KIMBERLY, Idaho — To deter students from vaping, Kimberly High School recently installed vape detectors in all its bathrooms.
"Anything we can do to preserve the health and safety of our students is important," parent Stephanie Snarr said.
It is one of several Idaho districts working to cut the number of vaping incidents. Roughly 30 districts recently got money through an Idaho Department of Education grant for vape detectors.
Principal Darin Gonzales said the school bought 10 detectors. About half of the money, $12,000, came from the grant. The district paid for the rest.
"I'm glad to see the state taking an interest in what is occurring on the ground and in our schools," Snarr said.
Snarr helped Kimberly apply for the grant this spring. Applicants were required to provide evidence for why they need detectors, including "information about current prevention and intervention efforts."
"It's easy for their brains to crave these substances," she said, "and so as a parent, I would like to do everything I can to [make sure] they're educated, they know the dangers ... but that we also put in some prevention measures so that if these things are showing up, that we can offer further education and further pathways for them to learn."
Gonzales said vaping became an issue at the high school about five years ago. In the last two years, administrators have dealt with 60 incidents.
Sometimes, they fall out of pockets. Other times, he said students report other students. However, one thing remains constant — bathrooms are the hot spot.
"That's the one spot you'll get some privacy," Gonzales said, "and ... it can just happen so quickly."
He said the school previously thought about adding detectors, but the technology most school districts used were not very reliable. There were a lot of false positives.
Then, they heard about Triton Sensors — the brand of detectors they installed. The detectors send administrators alerts for many things aside from vape, including screams and shouts and distress words like "help me," "stop it," and "emergency."
"We've learned in the last 20 years that bad things can happen in schools, and if we can save any kid from harm, it's worth it," he said.
The school suspends students caught vaping. Some of those students opt to serve their community. Others help out around their family's house.
More importantly, Gonzales said they try to make sure students have the support they need to make better decisions in the future. The school sometimes brings in health districts to inform students about the effects of vaping.
Those effects include not being able to give 100% to school, he said.
"We just want to have kids come to school and just be in a great environment, in a positive environment, and have the negative influences not be in our building," Gonzales said.
He said the school also recently partnered with the American Lung Association.
"Punishing by suspending or, you know, taking the vape away, that's not the answer all the time," he said. "They need education. They need to be kind of retrain their brain on why they need to change their habits."
There has been some misinformation online about the detectors. People are claiming there are cameras in the bathrooms, which is untrue.
There is a camera outside the bathrooms, Gonzales said. It picks up who is going in and out. However, the camera has been there for a long time.
The district told KTVB it may add detectors to the middle school. They will wait and see how effective the high school detectors are.
The Idaho Department of Education has given districts money for vape detectors before. However, a spokesperson said this is the first grant through the Millennium Committee.
They awarded more than $1 million, she said. Because the initiative was funded through the fund, an additional allocation would be necessary to continue the program.