CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Corpus Christi Independent School District reported that it caught hundreds of students vaping on campus grounds last year.
Due to a new state law, many of these students will end up at the alternative school known as the Student Support Center.
The growing problem has districts like CCISD and Tuloso-Midway installing vape detection systems in their schools.
"It's pretty accurate so it's a good tool as an administrator because it will alert us and that way we can come down and start doing the investigation," said Tuloso-Midway Principal Melanie Arias.
Vaping is becoming amore significant problem across the country. T-M ISD just installed monitors inside the bathrooms this summer. They were also starting to see a growing number of students vaping-- until now.
"I can tell you that the number of vapes, vape incidents has gone down because students know that the sensors are in the bathroom," she said.
Starting Friday, students caught with vapes will be sent to CCISD's Student Support Center, in accordance with the new law. Last school year, CCISD Director of Admissions Ronald Kanipes said they caught 273 High School students and 176 middle schoolers vaping. But most weren't sent here.
"It's House Bill 114 so what it basically does is takes nicotine vaping which currently wasn't an offense we typically removed to our discipline campus like you referred to. But now if they are nicotine vaping on a campus or a campus related event then they can remove them to the discipline campus," he said.
Meanwhile, Arias said the vaping monitors are working. CCISD said that Carroll High School has the vape system, and every new school built will be equipped as well.
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