With the return of the regular academic school year, schools in Jefferson County, Missouri, like schools across the United States, have increased the scope and intensity of their routine searches for vape devices on campus grounds. The crackdown on vape devices – also called vape pens, vapes, and e-cigarettes – comes in response to the growing popularity of vaping nicotine and marijuana (including cannabis compounds THC and CBD) among teens across the United States.

How Schools Find Vape Devices

High schools in Jefferson and throughout the country use several methods to detect students' possession and use of vapes on campus:

• Drug-sniffing dogs
• Vape detectors, mobile applications, cameras, and other technology
• Searching lockers
• Searching backpacks
• Searching restrooms, hallways, parking lots, and other common-use areas
• Sharing resources with school districts and law enforcement

Student Disciplinary Action for Vape Possession and Use

Schools and school districts also set policies or codes of conduct that prohibit the possession and use of vape devices and implement penalties for those found in violation. In Missouri, the Fox C-6 School District partners with Jefferson County schools to set disciplinary policies so that students in possession of vape devices or other items that violate the district's discipline policy are subject to disciplinary action. In New Jersey, Essex County and Bergen County schools have upgraded their substance abuse policies to include student use of e-cigarettes as a violation of said policies.

Students caught vaping or in possession of a vape devices may face the following school disciplinary actions, which can jeopardize academics, social activities, college admissions, and career options:

• Detention
• Suspension (in-school or out-of-school)
• Removal from athletic, extracurricular, or after school activities
• Conference with the principal
• Placement in an anti-drug program or counseling
• Drug testing and reporting

School Suspension for Vaping Offense

Suspension is usually the minimum punishment in school disciplinary actions, so if you're caught with a vape pen, you'll likely be completely excluded from school activities for a period of time. In fact, about 90% of in-school suspensions among sixth- through 12th-graders in Missouri are for vaping offenses. While suspension may not sound like a big deal, it can result in an incomplete class grade, transcript gap, and/or disciplinary record that potential employers and colleges will ask you to explain or require you to disclose.

Attorney Joseph D. Lento Specializes in Student Defense Against School Disciplinary Proceedings and Appeals Nationwide

Individuals accused of vaping violations face an uphill battle in defending themselves against school disciplinary actions. They and their parents face the challenge of properly representing the student while working within an unfamiliar school bureaucracy. Unlike local law firms, the Lento Law Firm has many years of specialized experience representing students nationwide in school disciplinary proceedings, including appeals of unfair or adverse actions taken against students, and also achieving constructive resolutions through negotiations with school districts' attorneys and schools' Offices of General Counsel.

Whatever steps are necessary to achieve a successful outcome, the Lento Law Firm has taken countless times on behalf of other students and families, and attorney Joseph D. Lento will fight to protect your rights while working towards the best possible resolution. If your student needs representation for a vaping offense or other alleged disciplinary violation, contact the Lento Law Firm online or call 888-535-3686.