Saying an extreme situation calls for an extreme response, Cherokee County school officials have declared any student found with vaping devices or oil will be treated as though they’re in possession of felony-level marijuana.
The School Board on May 16 unanimously approved an updated student discipline code that spells out a zero-tolerance policy for vaping.
Punishments range from immediate suspension to reassignment to an alternative school to possible expulsion, officials said. To avoid the most serious discipline, students would have to prove their devices and oils contain no marijuana-derived THC oil.
“It’s an extreme measure, but this is an extreme situation that deserves an extreme measure,” School Board Attorney Tom Roach said.
District Superintendent Brian V. Hightower said, “Students and their parents need to understand that vaping is dangerous: Short-term, you can overdose and suffer serious resulting health problems or death; long-term, you can damage your brain and lungs … and maybe worse, as too little research has been done.”
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