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Dearborn Schools combat vaping crisis with high-tech detectors in bathrooms

DEARBORN, Mich. – Vaping has become a real problem with teens who are finding a way to do it while in school.

Now, school districts are finding new ways to crack down on vaping; Dearborn Public Schools is the latest district to do so.

Vaping is so discrete, and it only takes a second to do; students are taking quick bathroom breaks to vape so they’re not in sight of the administration.

But now, Dearborn Public Schools will have vape detectors in their bathrooms.

Dearborn High School was part of a pilot program that was testing vape detectors in each bathroom.

Once a vape is detected, an administrator immediately receives an alert on their phone, leading them to the exact bathroom where vaping was taking place.

“I think we’re facing new challenges nowadays with the accessibility that students have these kind of devices and the innocuous look to these vapes that they use,” said Dearborn High School Assistant Principal Hussein Beydoun.

The detectors were installed at the beginning of the year, and Beydoun said that since then, the vape alerts have decreased by 80%.

“It’s been extremely successful; we’ve had a lot of feedback from students who are feeling more comfortable and safer by going to the bathroom; there’s less crowding in the bathrooms that used to happen before because students might be wanting to vape or anything like that,” said Beydoun.

Dearborn High School students said the detectors make the school feel safer and a better learning environment.

“I’ve heard from my friends personally that they feel more comfortable going into the bathroom because they’re not afraid that there’s going to be somebody vaping in there,” said one student.

With the success of this pilot program, Edsel Ford and Fordson High School are now getting vape detectors in their bathrooms. Now, all three high schools will fund the detectors with general funding dollars now that the pilot program at DHS is over.

Vape detectors aren’t the only way high schools are cracking down on vaping. Back in August, Local 4 told you about what Lakeview Public Schools in St. Claire Shores were doing. They have vape detection K9 services to address this growing issue.

“Moose can detect liquid THC and liquid nicotine, and then he can also detect other drugs, just straight marijuana, cocaine, crack, heroin, ecstasy,” said Lakeview Public Schools Superintendent Karl Paulson. “Bottom line is, I say, don’t bring it. We’ll try to find it, don’t bring it. So if I catch none because of the dogs, great!”

Sometimes just having the dog there or the vape detector is enough to stop the students from doing it all together. While students in Dearborn could face a three-day suspension for vaping, the administrators said that’s not what it’s all about. They want to identify the students who are vaping and try to get them the help they need to quit.


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You can watch Kim on the morning newscast weekdays from 4:30 to 7 a.m., and frequently doing reports on the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts.