To combat the constant gathering and smoking not only of nicotine, but also marijuana pens in the restrooms, staff has implemented a way to know when someone is using one: vape detectors.

Though it’s been talked about since the beginning of the school year, Smoky has yet to put the first sensors in the restrooms.

Assistant Principal overseeing discipline and safety Bruce Jones is currently involved in the installation process. “[The installation company] is actually hardwiring the detectors into the building so you don’t have to replace batteries….We’ve got 26 of them being installed in 26 different bathroom and locker rooms. They were supposed to be installed over fall break. We were told they would, but they were at another high school,” Jones said.

Jones mentioned the detectors were being put in 26 rooms.

“It includes bathrooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms for the theater department, the main office and deans office.” Jones said.

But how will they work? Most would assume they can just hold in the smoke until nothing releases when they exhale.

“They’re not just vape detectors, they tell you what particulates are in the air. But it also differentiates between tobacco and THC,” Jones said.

Currently, staff is figuring out the plan for discipline if the detectors are triggered.

“When the detector goes off, we’re going to go down there and try to collect everybody that was in the bathroom,” Jones said. “If kids leave the area, we’re gonna check cameras and try to pull all kids seen leaving to the dean’s office. We’re going to have a conversation with them and call their parents. I’m just going to have them turn their pockets out for me, just to make sure they don’t have anything on them,”

Admin has hopes that vape detectors could make a big impact on the nicotine use in our school, with the staff working to make strides in a new direction.