Three times as many vapes confiscated in Tennessee schools this year
The consequence for students stretches beyond having the e-cigarette taken away.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Student Resource Officers in several Middle Tennessee schools are confiscating three times as many vapes compared to this time last year.
The consequence for students stretches beyond having the e-cigarette taken away.
At the Pearl Cohn High School pick-up line, Angela Brown waits for her grandkids. When they get inside her car, she’s confident, thanks to officers on site, they are vape-free.
“I will say they do a good job being on top of stuff,” said Brown. “They watch for the vapes, they watch for the drugs, they watch for the weapons.”
SROs are why Metro Nashville Public Schools, Cheatham County Schools, and Sumner County Schools have each seen almost triple the number of vapes confiscated so far this school year. Here is a breakdown by district:
Metro Nashville Public Schools
August – September 2023: 44 vapes confiscated
August – September 2022: 13 vapes confiscated
Cheatham County Schools
August – September 2023: 53 vapes confiscated
August – September 2022: 15 vapes confiscated
Sumner County Schools
August – September 2023: 37 THC vapes confiscated
August – September 2022: 15 vapes confiscated in total
Maury County Schools
August – September 2023: 39 vapes confiscated
2022 -2023 school year: 345 vapes confiscated in total
Wilson County Schools
August – September 2023: 61 vapes confiscated
August – September 2022: 67 vapes confiscated
Sergeant Steve Jones with the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) oversees SROs. He showed WSMV4 three giant Ziploc bags full of vapes officers seized at Mount Juliet High School.
“The main thing is SRO’s being mobile,” he said. “Being visible during class changes, hitting bathrooms. That’s the majority of where kids are doing it. We’ve had a few that have been brave enough to actually do it in a classroom.”
Last year was the first year Wilson County Sheriff’s Office said they got THC test kids. The purple color tells SROs there is THC inside a student’s vape. That determines if they charge them with possession of tobacco or marijuana.
Sgt. Jones said it takes hours out of their day to charge students. No matter how much they preach to students to be vape-free, they say it comes down to parents.
Brown said it’s a conversation she has with her grandkids all the time.
“As a parent, as a grandparent, you want to make sure,” she said. “So, you check backpacks, you check stuff to make sure when they walk out the door, you know they didn’t have it at that moment.”
WCSO said if they find a student with a vape that has .3% or more THC inside, they can charge them for simple possession of a Schedule VI drug. They can also charge them for public intoxication if they are exhibiting signs of impairment.
Copyright 2023 WSMV. All rights reserved.
