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Springfield Local Schools looking to add vape sensors to school bathrooms

District leaders say vaping is a big problem with students. The sensors would alert administration if vaping is happening in Middle and High School Bathrooms

HOLLAND, Ohio — Springfield Local Schools is stepping up efforts to keep kids from vaping.

"It's like smoking in the bathroom when I went to school," said Kathy Stamm about vaping. She has grandchildren who attend Springfield High School 

Stamm said she's seen the fads change over the years and so have officials with Springfield Local Schools. 

They're trying to stay on top of vaping. 

"A lot of kids are doing it. Springfield Schools wants to do whatever we can to prevent students from doing that activity," said Superintendent Matt Geha.

The district has been educating students and parents and now its doing homework on a new tool on the market: A sensor that detects vaping. 

Geha said it's kind of like a smoke alarm. 

"It will alarm us either wirelessly or through our tech to our office when an alarm goes off. So a student might not even know that alarm has triggered," said Geha.

The district is looking to install the sensors in bathrooms in the middle and high school. That's about 10 at $1,000 apiece.

Geha said he has support from the School Board to make the move and he hopes to have them installed around the first of the year.

"We have great kids, but great kids sometimes do the wrong thing. We want to do everything we can to prevent that first time for them," said Geha.

Kids caught vaping will face disciplinary action along with also being offered free counseling.

Kathy thinks adding the sensors is a good idea. 

"I wondered when it first started up, you know, how long it would take to find out what side effects there really could be because in the beginning it was something new. You really don't know," she said. 

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