The popularity of vaping among students has led three Whitehorse high schools to develop policies around the practice, with a more recent incident that can be traced back to April.

The Department of Education confirmed last month that doors to the bathrooms in the atrium/cafeteria of F.H. Collins Secondary School had been removed earlier that month.

A number of students had been gathering in the bathroom to vape and doors were removed “to discourage this behaviour” in conjunction with the school council, department spokesperson Kyle Nightingale said.

“We do not share details of specific disciplinary cases to protect the privacy and safety of students,” he added.

“The bathrooms have a privacy wall that maintains the privacy of users.”

Vaping is inhaling or exhaling an aerosol produced by a vaping product like an electronic cigarette, but doesn’t require burning like when a cigarette is smoked. Devices heat a liquid into a vapour which then turns into aerosol, and vapour can be flavoured and contain nicotine. Devices can be called e-cigarettes, e-hookahs, vape pens or mods, and can be small and resemble USB drives and pens, or be much larger.

Noting that the original design of the school did not include the doors on the site to help in safety, the department added this week there was no cost to remove them.

The doors were installed on the washroom entrances a month or so after the school opened, at a cost of just over $11,000 (inclusive of design, materials and installation). Education spokesperson Maxine White added this week “since the school opened, the other washrooms have had an open style with privacy walls that maintain the privacy of users.”  

The school’s old building was demolished and replaced with a brand new one, with students heading into the new site in January of 2016.

As for the incident itself, while the department does not speak to specifics, Nightingale noted schools educating students about harmful substances is an “ongoing process.

“For example, cannabis and fentanyl have been prominent issues in our communities that are being addressed and discouraging the use of vaporizer devices is also a focus in secondary school,” he added.

Meanwhile, on F.H.’s main webpage, a “common policy” document on vaping is available after being developed in fall 2018.

“Realizing the health concerns regarding vaping, the three Whitehorse high schools will attempt to follow a common policy,” it reads.

“Vapes are not permitted on school property.”

The policy document itself cites data that shows “that many young people from ages 10-18 have become addicted to nicotine through the use of vapes.”

It adds that “we will spend the first week talking to students about what the policy is: vapes are not permitted on school property.”

It also lays out the disciplinary action if a student is seen with a vape; the first time it happens, the vape will be confiscated (regardless of whether they are vaping or not). A call will be made home and the vape will be confiscated until a parent comes to claim it.

A second offense will see a call made home, the student dismissed for a day and the vape confiscated until the end of the year (when a parent can come in to claim it). “Subsequent infractions will see escalating suspensions that may result in removal from school,” it continues.

The three schools it applies to are F.H., Vanier Catholic Secondary School and Porter Creek Secondary School, the department confirmed this week.

“Each school, with its school council, develops its own school-based policies around issues like smoking and vaping, which outlines things such as consequences and discipline,” White added this morning. She pointed to the Education Act which allows councils to set out rules and policies on matters within its purview.

After F.H. created its policy in fall of last year, it was posted online in January 2019 and the school began speaking to students about it at that time. It was also shared in that month’s newsletter and will be shared again at the start of the next school year, White added today.

Porter Creek, meanwhile, has its drug and alcohol guidelines posted on its webpage, while Vanier’s offers detail into a “Consider the Consequences of Vaping Tour.”

It notes the tour travels to high schools across the country to educate teens on vaping, and includes issues like vaping and nicotine addiction, lung damage, its effects on teen brain development and long-term health impacts of it which are unknown.

Nightingale referenced this tour when he explained a “health expert from Health Canada (will be) visiting some of our schools in May to work with teachers and students on the negative impacts of vaping.”

A federal government program, the department added this morning there was no cost to YG for the tour that reached Vanier, F.H., and the Porter Creek schools along with St. Elias Community School in Haines Junction.

“If vaping is an issue that is relevant to an elementary school, teachers can focus lessons in physical and health education on this issue,” White added this week. She also pointed to YG’s health promotion unit that has staff any school can host to present on vaping.

Meanwhile, the department said it does not specifically track vaping incidents across Yukon schools – but it does see each site keep info on incidents that could include that.

“Schools do keep disciplinary records for each student, including the nature of the incident and what action was taken,” Nightingale said last month. Reached this week, another spokesperson, Jason Mackey, reiterated this.

“That kind of information would be tracked at the school level,” Mackey said.

If a school is worried about specific incidents like vaping or smoking on school grounds, it can bring those concerns to the department.

White also pointed to Yukon schools having the option to report incidents of student discipline to the department as of November 2018 via a student info system. While in a pilot phase right now, YG “will see if this approach will provide appropriate data” that can help guide interventions and approaches to issues like vaping.

Nightingale pointed to the Smoke-free Places Act which lays out requirements for such areas like schools, and the Tobacco Free Schools policy is in line with this and prohibits smoking and vaping on school grounds.

This comes as YG began inviting Yukoners in early May to offer their thoughts on the minimum legal age for getting tobacco and vapour products, as well as how such vapour products should be used, promoted and sold.

The government is allowing people till the end of this month to share their thoughts.

“Although vaping is used by many adults as a smoking cessation tool, there is growing public concern about the long-term risk it poses to health particularly for young people,” the survey’s introduction reads.

It continues that YG is focusing on “reducing youth access to vapour products while supporting adults looking for an alternative to tobacco,” and it will include herbal, non-tobacco shisha.

Cannabis use and vaporization is not covered under the changes.

Feedback will inform changes to the act, and the deadline to complete the survey is May 31. Results of the engagement will be shared in June via a what we heard summary.