Beginning Sept. 1, Texas public school students who are caught vaping -- or in possession of an e-cigarette on campus or while attending school functions -- are headed for alternative school.
Boerne Independent School District officials are prepping for a new year with potential increases in attendance at the district’s Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DEAP) due to usage of e-cigarettes, or “vaping.”
Last year, 54 students went through DAEP in Boerne, according to Bryan Benway, BISD director of communications.
“In the past two years, the majority of our DAEP placements were due to THC vapes,” Benway said.
The current student Code of Conduct states, “A student must be placed in a DAEP if the student … sells, gives, or delivers to another person or possesses or uses an e-cigarette,” one of 14 listed misconduct measures that require DAEP placement.
The length of time a student is assigned to the DAEP can vary based upon the specifics of the Student Code of Conduct offense and the student’s disciplinary history.
“The campus principal has the authority to determine the length of DAEP placements for students based upon the specifics of the Student Code of Conduct offense and the student’s disciplinary history,” Benway said.
House Bill 114, passed by the Texas Legislature this spring, states that a student “shall be removed from class and placed in a disciplinary alternative education program” for the “possession, use, or delivery of marijuana or e-cigarettes on or near public school property, or at certain school event.”
The offense is not limited to a school building or the school grounds. Punishment can be doled out if “a student (possesses, uses, sells or distributes) e-cigarettes) on or within 300 feet of school property, as measured from any point on the school's real property boundary line, or while attending a school-sponsored or school-related activity on or off school property.”
While HB 114 comes down hard on vaping and possession of e-cigarettes, the school district stands ready to offer avenues of support and counseling for offenders.
“In Boerne ISD, our DAEP is proactive in offering student support and resources regarding accurate and helpful information about e-cigarettes,” Ricky Mourning, district director of alternative education, said.
“Our goal,” Mourning said, “is to not only be available for students in need of improved refusal skills, but also supply students and parents or guardians with opportunities for counseling regarding the use of e-cigarettes.”
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