Any student attending Lampasas Middle School or Lampasas High School who is caught with a nicotine or tobacco product will be subject to time at the Disciplinary Alternative Education Program campus.
During Monday’s meeting of the Lampasas Independent School District Board of Trustees, members recommended the DAEP punishment for first-time e-cigarette offenses.
With the passage of House Bill 114 during the recent session of the Texas Legislature, all school districts across the state must send any student possessing, selling or smoking any vape product to a DAEP setting.
Previously, students were subject to in-school suspension for a first-time e-cigarette offense.
LHS Principal Joey McQueen, Assistant Principal Ryan Race and LMS Principal Wes Graham were present at Monday’s meeting to provide their thoughts about the updated discipline policies in compliance with state law.
Staff recommended 15 days for a first-time offense. Trustee Sam Walker said he believed the jump from three or five days of in-school suspension to 15 days of alternative education placement was excessive.
“That pulls a kid out for three weeks -- athletics, UIL, whatever they are in,” Walker said. “I fear we are not teaching them a lesson and possibly sending them down a wrong path.”
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey, over 3 million U.S. middle school and high school students use tobacco products.
Race urged board members to approve the new recommendations.
“Vaping is an epidemic problem right now against teens, and in my opinion, I think we need to make a statement as a district and as a community saying we are done with this,” Race told board members. “Fifteen days may be a little bit more than you think we need, but we need to make a statement.”
A majority of the board members, including president Randy Morris, indicated they thought 15 days was too excessive.
LISD Superintendent Dr. Chance Rascoe suggested an educational program be completed during a student’s time at the DAEP to offer a reduced time away from campus, an idea board members welcomed.
Another topic of discussion Monday was whether punishment for possessing chewing tobacco or cigarettes would be as significant as having e-cigarettes.
“If I’m a parent of a kid that gets caught with a vape pen and gets 15 days, and somebody else gets caught with snuff and gets one day of ISS, that is going to make me mad,” trustee Ryan Shahan said. “I think nicotine is nicotine.”
Board members ultimately decided that punishment for possessing chewing tobacco or cigarettes should be equal to the consequences for possession of e-cigarette products.
The board unanimously approved a 10-day stay at the DAEP campus that can be shortened to five days with educational training about the consequences of vaping.
VAPE DETECTORS ON CAMPUS
The 2023-24 school year will be the first year LHS will have vape detectors on campus.
Assistant Superintendent Dana Holcomb told board members other districts had noticed an uptick in DAEP placement since the implementation of vape detectors on their campuses.
“I did contact two schools’ DAEP directors and asked them about the vape detectors they installed,” Holcomb said. “They sent me some information toward the end of last year, and their numbers had doubled. We need to expect to see an increase in students initially being assigned [to the alternative campus].”
After a 10-day suspension, Lampasas ISD middle or high school students who commit a second offense will spend 20 days in the DAEP. For third and fourth offenses, students will serve a 25-day and 30-day placement, respectively, in the DAEP.
THC PUNISHMENTS
THC is one of the many cannabinoids found in marijuana that provides euphoric effects. THC-vape products may contain added chemicals that are unhealthy and potentially fatal.
Middle school students caught with marijuana or THC-vape are subject to 30 days at the DAEP for each offense.
For high school students, a first-time marijuana or THC-vape offense results in 60 days at the DAEP campus. Any additional offenses will require a 90day stay.
Delta 8-THC is a psychoactive substance and one of the many cannabinoids found in the Cannabis sativa plant. It can be purchased by individuals under 21 years old at Texas convenience stores. Delta 8-THC provides similar euphoric effects to THC.
LHS students will spend 30 days in the DAEP for firsttime Delta 8-THC offenses and 60 days for additional offenses.