Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
During the meeting of the Madison County District School Board on Monday, May 3, the board heard a presentation from two members of the local Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) chapter. Andrew Pepera and Alyssa Wheeler from the local SWAT group spoke to the board members about the prevalence of electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes as they are commonly called, and the dangers they can cause.
E-cigarettes use water vapor rather than tobacco smoke in order to deliver nicotine, and some have the impression they are safer. Nicotine is a chemical found in tobacco and has been shown to be highly addictive. According to the SWAT presentation, tobacco companies use marketing techniques aimed at youngsters to sell e-cigarette products to young consumers. It is illegal to sell e-cigarette products to anyone under 18 in the State of Florida, however, some retail outlets ignore this rule.
Pepera and Wheeler also shared some results from a survey on tobacco use among youngsters between the ages of 11 and 17. In Madison County the percentage of youth who have ever tried tobacco products rose from 33.7 percent in 2014 to 36.1 percent in 2020. Much of this increase was from an increase in the popularity of e-cigarettes and “vaping” devices. Among those youth who state they currently use cigarettes, the percentage actually dropped from 10.6 percent in 2014 to 4.8 percent in 2020. However, over that same time period, the number of youth who currently use electronic vaping products nearly tripled in Madison County, from 6.4 percent in 2014 to 18.6 percent in 2020.
Even more concerning is the age at which youngsters are being introduced to tobacco use. During their presentation, Pepera stated students as young as second grade have been found to have vaping products.
Included in the SWAT presentation was a list of policy suggestions for the school district. Among these suggestions were:
• Include e-cigarettes in the definition of tobacco products;
• Broaden the definition of tobacco products/use by including language referring to tobacco/nicotine content: “any product that could be considered a tobacco product because it contains, is mad, or derived from tobacco, or that contains nicotine, whether synthetic or natural, and is intended for human consumption;”
• Ensure the Tobacco Free Policy includes explicit language indicating the policy applies to students, staff and visitors, at a minimum;
• Ensure the Tobacco Free Policy includes explicit language stating the policy is in effect at all times;
• Provide specific enforcement procedures for student tobacco violations to prioritize cessation support in the student code of conduct. Utilize educational options and behavioral health support and only employ exclusionary discipline, such as Out of School Suspension, as a last resort.
These were just a few of the suggestions presented. The board members discussed some of these recommendations, but took no definitive action. The board members thanked the students for their presentation.
In other business, the board approved a $9,910 expenditure for a personal power lift. The lift was requested by Tim Ginn, Maintenance Supervisor for the district. The board also approved personnel changes and the Staffing Allocation Plan. Out of district field trips and out of district travel requests were also approved.
Superintendent of Schools Shirley Joseph said that graduation plans were under way for Madison County High School and graduation this year will be very similar to last year. The primary exception being, students will be able to invite more family and friends. Supt. Joseph said she wanted to allow the schools to plan their own graduation procedures, to the extent possible.
The next meeting of the Madison County District School Board is scheduled for Monday, May 17, at 6 p.m. The meeting will take place in the board meeting room, located at 210 NE Duval St., in Madison.