MURRAY, Utah — A Student Health and Risk Prevention (SHARP) survey done in 2019 showed that fourth of all the students in the Granite School District had tried vaping.
That survey went on to say that 12.8% of those students are currently using e-cigarettes.
District officials tell FOX 13 News this is an increasing problem in their schools.
Michael Douglas is in his first year as the principal at Cottonwood High School.
Douglas showed FOX 13 News just some of the vaping devices and cartridges that have been confiscated at his school, so far this year.
"This is only a fourth of the product we have confiscated," said Douglas.
Douglas says last school year, they wrote 31 vape citation tickets, which he says is basically a slap on the wrist that comes with a small fine.
The data they are seeing, Douglas says, is doubling year over year. He says they have issued twice as many citations halfway through this school year than they did this time last year.
In all, Douglas says they have given out 14 vape citation tickets so far during the 2022-23 school year.
"We're finding different devices, not only nicotine vapes but also THC marijuana vapes, which is a huge problem," said Douglas.
It prompted Douglas to send letters to VUSE and JUUL in November, two corporations that make and sell vape products.
The hope being, Douglas says, is they will foot the bill in helping purchase vape detection devices for the six bathrooms at his school, where he says most students go to vape.
"They work like a smoke detector and bathrooms and those are pretty expensive but they're very effective at mitigating vape use," said Douglas.
Altogether, Douglas says that comes with a price tag of more than $12,000
"I would love for these companies that are making millions and billions of dollars to help us solve the problem that they've created," said Douglas.
Douglas says he received an e-mail response back from a representative with VUSE last week, who said they would touch base with him at the beginning of the new year.
He tells FOX 13 News that he has not heard back from JUUL at this time.
Robyn Ivins is the parent of a Cottonwood High School sophomore.
"Look at the bright colors, look at the fun flavors, the Vape industry is lying if they say they're not marketing kids," said Ivins.
Ivins says she has seen students vaping firsthand, in the classroom when she was substitute teaching at another school in the district.
"The one I confiscated was a kid from Olympus, so you know, it's in every school," said Ivins. "I was sitting up at the teacher's desk and I kept seeing him kind of go like this."
Ivins says the vape detection devices could be a worthwhile solution to the problem.
"I think it will at least be a deterrent to doing it on our campus," said Ivins.
FOX 13 News did ask officials with the Granite School District if any school in their district has vape detection devices right now.
They told us that Matheson Junior High School installed their devices two years ago, which was funded in part by a grant initiative.
