Eastern Ky. school district sees increase in students vaping, educates students on dangers

WOLFE COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) - In one day, Wolfe County Schools staff took seven vapes away from students.

”It’s extremely alarming what’s in these vapes, and you know we need to alert parents, we need to alert students, we need to alert the community,” said Superintendent Kenny Bell.

Bell said that before the pandemic, they saw students using vapes. He said it died down when students went to virtual learning, but now it is picking back up.

”We want all of our kids to make good decisions, that for later in life, that doesn’t have consequences,” he said. “That’s hard when you’re a teenager, young kid to see way down the road the effects this is going to have on your health.”

A school resource officer said it goes beyond students vaping. He worries about what could be inside of them, like when a student buys a vape laced with fentanyl or meth without knowing.

”Drug dealers are getting smart these days, so at this point, we’re in, squeeze that juice out,” said Elijah Banks. “You can go to the dollar store, you can go to Save A Lot, pick up one common household item.” “I can put my meth, I can put fentanyl, I can put heroin, whatever type of drug I’m trying to relate to the school to the kids.”

He said this can be an issue if students pass a laced vape around. He said when they buy a new vape, it will not give them the same high as the laced one.

“Any point in time, I, or Lee, or you could lace this and now you got to have my vape,” he said. “A normal vape just won’t get it for you, that’s how serious this is.”

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