To the Editor:
I am writing to express my concern about the letter we received from the principal of Ocean City High School on Oct. 14 regarding administration being aware of the alarming rate of vaping (both nicotine and marijuana) in the bathrooms at the high school.
The letter indicated that there are reports of students selling hits of vape to other students. The letter also indicated that if a student is caught with a vaping device or using the device in school, the student will be subjected to the code of conduct and Policy and Regulation 5530 Substance Abuse.
It is my understanding that teachers are not allowed to be stationed in the bathrooms to deter this alarming problem. I have a child who is afraid to use the bathrooms at school without being pressured by upperclassmen to participate in taking a hit. This is a major problem and the school has not listed in this letter what they are doing to prevent this problem from continuing, rather just stating the consequences of what will happen when/if your child is caught with a vape.
Why are there no vape detectors in bathrooms? If other schools like Millville have vape detectors why doesn’t Ocean City? What are we doing to prevent our kids from getting addicted to drugs and ruining their futures at such young ages? Are we educating them in school about drug addiction?
It’s the parents’ responsibility what goes on outside of school, but if we can’t even control what’s going on in the bathrooms inside the school, what is a parent to do?
As the police force hands are tied with the new laws of marijuana being legal, the school cannot let this keep happening in the bathrooms. Our school board is failing us. At the very least we should have vape detectors in the bathroom to deter the problem from happening.
John Kohr
