By Sheldon Spackman

STUDENT VAPING

Red Deer Public Schools leading the call for stronger vaping laws

May 11, 2019 | 10:10 AM

RED DEER — Momentum is growing amongst Alberta school boards lobbying to push for stronger vaping regulations in the province.

School board trustees from Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) Zone 4 recently put forward a motion urging the federal and provincial governments to align restrictions on the consumption, promotion, marketing and sale of vaping products with those on tobacco products.

ASBA Zone 4 officials say the motion will go to the Fall General Meeting of ASBA, where all of Alberta’s 61 school boards will vote on it.

“If it passes, ASBA can then take a provincial stand on this important issue,” says Connie Huelsman, ASBA Zone 4 Chair, in a press release. “After years of real progress in creating a smoke-free generation, we are slipping back with the real risk of significant numbers of youth being addicted to nicotine and becoming smokers.”

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Red Deer Public Schools brought the motion to the Zone, and Wetaskiwin Regional Public Schools seconded it, with all eight member boards voting in support.

Red Deer Public Schools Board Chair Bev Manning says their staff has indicated vaping is a significant issue.

“It has risen exponentially over the last couple of years especially, and we’re concerned about the health and welfare of our students,” explains Manning. “We’re just asking our provincial association to join with us in some lobbying efforts to all levels of government because it seems like we’ve fallen behind and the laws aren’t catching up to what’s really going on.”

Until new laws are in place, Manning says vaping will be unacceptable at Red Deer Public Schools.

“Teachers are working with students to first of all educate them and help them to understand that it’s not a healthy thing to do,” she says. “Second of all, we want to keep it out of our schools, so they would deal with it through education and then suspension if necessary. It’s generally at the senior high level, at high school, but certainly it finds its way into middle school.”

According to ASBA Zone 4 officials, educators are now seeing students from all grade levels and profiles vaping, including athletes, artists and academic students.

Officials claim vaping now ranks as the number one reason for student suspensions in some jurisdictions, as students are using vaping products outside, in bathrooms, hallways and classrooms.

Also concerning are reports from health officials who believe there may be a link between vaping and an increase in teenage cigarette smoking for the first time in 30 years.

The highly addictive nature of the products, according to ASBA Zone 4 officials, as well as with the cocktail of other dangerous and toxic chemicals within vaping products, could have dangerous health consequences such as lung damage, cancer, and harm to brain development.

Manning is hopeful their motion will receive full support at the ASBA’s Fall General Meeting.

“It seems to be that all of us are finding the same thing,” she adds. “I would hope that some response would be immediate, and I would hope our government is working on it currently and it wouldn’t take a whole bunch of lobbying efforts on behalf of students for them to understand the issue.”