Pearland ISD holds town hall on vaping, campus safety

Pearland ISD held a town hall at Dawson High School on Oct. 17 to discuss vaping as well as school safety and security.

Principals from each of the Pearland high schools took turns explaining the steps each of their schools have taken to address the issue of vaping. A vape is an electronic cigarette or similar device that can be used to smoke nicotine, marijuana or water vapor.

“In some cases there is an almost permissive idea about vaping that it’s not as bad as cigarettes, and that scares me and many of us, I’m sure,” said Kai Bouchard, principal of Robert Turner College & Career High School.

The district is bringing articles about the dangers of vaping into the curriculum, having talks with the different grades about the seriousness of having a vaping device on campus, putting up informative posters and trying to keep parents informed about how to identify a vape.

Dr. Sandeep Gupta, a pulmonary specialist from Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital, was also present to answer questions about the medical dangers of vaping.

“The problem is the lack of regulation on these products that underage kids are having to get illegally,” Gupta said.

There was also a presentation on campus security measures that have been installed across the district after they were approved in the 2016 bond. Emphasis was put on secure entrance vestibules that have been added to several schools. The district Emergency Operations Plan is also in the process of being updated.