Hardly anyone would argue with the fact that youth and teen vaping is a public health crisis. Nicotine is highly addictive and harmful to developing brains, and research links vaping to asthma, chronic lung disease, and even cardiovascular diseases.

Most caring parents and educators agree that communities should do everything possible to discourage young people from taking up – and subsequently becoming addicted to – this harmful habit.

But are some schools going too far to catch students in the act and levy harsh punishments – consequences that may even be counterproductive? Public health agencies and organizations certainly think so, and many have come out publicly in opposition to efforts to penalize students who are caught vaping with suspensions and expulsions.

If your student has been on the receiving end of punitive measures that may actually do more harm than good to their health, it's time to take health science to school and your district to task. Call the Lento Law Firm's National Education Law Team at 888.535.3686 or tell us about your student's disciplinary case online so we can help set your child's school district straight and clear any unfair and deleterious marks on your student's permanent record.

In Texas, an upstanding high school student – student council president and debate team captain – who was discovered vaping was sent to an alternative school for 30 days. With this one act of poor decision-making, everything she had worked so hard for in her academic career was under threat because she was caught vaping, including walking at graduation and her college scholarship. She was forced to step down from her leadership roles, removed from the National Honors Society, and even told she could face criminal charges.

Harsh Punishments for Vaping Exacerbate the Problem

This Texas high school is one of hundreds across the country installing air-quality sensors, cameras, and other surveillance technology to catch students engaging in vaping or smoking e-cigarettes. While this heavy-handed approach to enforcing vaping and e-cigarette bans in schools' codes of conduct may be well-meaning, many experts say it isn't backed by science and that it's likely doing more harm than good.

Public health organizations point to nicotine's addictive properties and the multi-million dollar industry marketing these products to young people. While student vaping can be understandably concerning and frustrating to parents and educators, nonprofit tobacco control organization Truth Initiative does not support suspensions or expulsions as an effective punishment for tobacco use, including vaping, on school grounds. Rather, they say, “it is important that schools respond to tobacco violations with a supportive approach.”

Likewise, the Minnesota Department of Health, for example, recommends that schools attempt to “address the underlying addiction to tobacco in lieu of punitive measures, which may exacerbate the problem and not deter future use.” The state goes on to explain that “using suspension and expulsion to penalize prohibited commercial tobacco use may not be reasonable considering tobacco targeted marketing, science of addiction, and long-term consequences associated with expulsion and suspension.”

Fight for Your Student's Rights

Has your student been the victim of their school's under-researched and harmful punitive policies around the use of vaping or e-cigarettes? Don't leave their future in the hands of ineffective measures not supported by science or health experts.

There is too much on the line – their academic record, their sports and other extracurricular participation, honors societies, scholarships, and more.

The Lento Law Firm's National Education Law Team successfully represents students nationwide in cases against schools and school districts on a wide range of topics, including unfair discipline. Call 888.535.3686 or tell us about your situation online to find out how our Education Law Team can fight for your student's rights and help them protect everything they've worked for.