Teenage Vaping Hot Topic at Terrebonne Parish School Board Committee Meeting

Clarification: A previous version of this story suggested that Officer Wade Elliot is the school resource officer for several Terrebonne Parish schools. He is the school resource officer for Terrebonne High School. Other schools have their own designated officers. The Times apologizes for the confusion.

The Terrebonne Parish School Board’s Education, Technology, and Policy Committee met Tuesday, June 15. On the agenda was the issue of teenage student vaping. Lieutenant Travis Theriot with the Houma Police Department and Terrebonne High’s School Resource Officer Wade Elliot presented information to the board that included the trends in Terrebonne Parish schools, the dangers of the new vaping trends, and what is currently being done to combat the rising issue.

Lt. Theriot began, “Vaping in the area is the new age pandemic.” He went on to share that Terrebonne High School specifically noticed a problem, where Officer Elliot has been proactive in the school. There were two children at school that needed medical attention due to vaping products. Theriot said primarily the students are using CBD products that contain THC. They are using “bootleg” forms of oils where they hack the vaping apparatus. The issue being faced is school resource officers can’t be everywhere in their designated schools, especially the larger ones, at once, so the department is looking at ways to be able to put extra officers at schools specifically for the issue of vaping, smoking and any other illegal narcotics, Theriot said. This would leave the school resource officers to deal more with the disciplinary issues in conjunction with the school staff, he said. 

Vaping is the inhaling of vapor created by an electronic cigarette. These battery-powered devices have cartridges filled with nicotine, flavoring, and chemicals. The liquid is heated into a vapor, which the person inhales. It is found these products can affect the brain, lungs, and heart, Lt. Theriot said. He explained it also causes a “popcorn” effect in the lungs by providing an x-ray scan to show how it is affecting the younger generation. Popcorn Lungs is the nickname for bronchiolitis obliterans. Vaping is linked to this irreversible condition due to exposure to harmful chemicals like diacetyl, which is found in e-cigarettes.

The Houma Police Department receives a Louisiana Highway Safety Commission grant that is spread across different areas. Within that grant, is the Juvenile Underage Drinking Enforcement (JUDE) Grant. This grant is allocated towards highway safety, and since students are leaving schools impaired from vaping CBD products containing THC, it is considered a highway safety concern. This has not been done in the state of Louisiana and has a possibility of becoming a pilot program for the rest of the state.

With the JUDE grant, the department will be able to find ways to target the problem. The department began to alter the hours and started placing police officers at the schools specifically targeting vaping for five to six hours a day. The officers begin in the morning, work through lunch, and if they notice a student is using, they could add a sense of security by observing the student’s home to make sure they arrive safely.

Lt. Theriot said they have zero-tolerance when it comes to consequences. The police department tests the products off-campus and then consequences are taken according to the law and the school district’s policy. If the concentration contains a certain percentage of THC, it is handled like a drug, and policy calls for expulsion, and the student is charged with possession of marijuana. There will be a fine along with community service. If the concentration contains a nicotine product, the student will be suspended. Board members agreed that the problem must be addressed including looking into how students are obtaining the products, especially if they are being sold by local establishments.

Officers are placed in “strategic spots” within the school and it is a team effort, the Lieutenant said. “We must accept our role in the endeavor for our future leaders.”