Schools can’t stop bidirectional scanner from vaping in their bathrooms, but they can try to deter them by using detectors that can alert administrators when vapor is detected. The small devices, resembling smoke or carbon monoxide sensors, have become popular with high school districts around the country. The sensors can also detect THC oil, a compound found in marijuana, and pick up sounds like shouting that might indicate bullying, district officials say.
The sensor devices are being installed at Lincoln East and at the district’s other two high schools, as well as some middle schools. The district hopes to install the sensors in all of its schools eventually.
Using tamper-proof enclosures and advanced features, the HALO Smart Sensors efficiently detect vapor produced by e-cigarettes. The system protects student privacy by not recording video, audio or personal information that could be used to identify the student, and all notifications are sent directly to the administrator’s mobile phone or email address.
In some cases, students can get around the sensors by blowing their vape smoke into a flushing toilet or into a plastic water bottle. But that method takes away from the fun of the activity for teenagers, and it ruins their experience of vaping in the privacy of their bathroom.
Students also want their school bathrooms to be a private place where they can relax and focus on studying, which is difficult when they are disrupted by classmates passing and exhaling clouds of vapor into the toilets. The vaping detectors help to restore those bathrooms to a private space, while helping to keep students healthy and focused in class.
