Footscray High denies claims students are vaping in bathrooms

Girls at Footscray High say they have been forced to wait until the end of the day to use the toilet because students are vaping in bathrooms.

Students vaping in the bathrooms at Footscray High is having a big impact on classmates.

PARENTS claim a lack of usable toilets at a state-of-the-art new $75 million high school is due to students vaping in the bathrooms.

Footscray High School principal Frank Vetere said there had not been any vaping infringements at the Pilgrim or Barkly campuses and no toilets had been closed or students denied entry to them.

However, parents have taken to social media to lament the lack of toilets, leading to girls in years seven to nine waiting until the end of the day to use the toilet.

One parent of a year nine student told the Herald Sun that “there is only one toilet and kids can’t get in because others are vaping in it”.

Others said their daughters reported only one of three blocks were open, that the doors didn’t lock, and smelled “fruity” from vaping.

One mother with a son said it was the same for boys and had “been an issue for ages”.

Parents report the issues centre on the year seven to nine campus at Barkly St, which reopened in 2021 with a $16m upgrade as well as some problems at the school’s new $30m Pilgrim campus.

Footscray High is a new multi-campus school which opened in 2021 with nearly 1500 students.

One parent said vaping at the school has been “an issue for ages”.

Mr Vetere said the Barkly campus had one toilet closed for a short time due to minor vandalism, but this was not connected to vaping.

Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals president Colin Axup said the growing number of students vaping had spiked since kids returned to school full-time, with a public health response needed to curb the dangerous trend on school grounds.

“It’s not year level specific, it’s across the board,” Mr Axup said.

“Schools can do their bit to manage vaping on school grounds, but it’s time for a bigger picture public health response,” he said.

Mr Axup said limiting the amount of available toilet cubicles and having additional teachers on yard duty were some ways schools were attempting to stop students vaping during the school day.

“Reducing access to toilets during class time would be one way to curb it, but for every avenue you block off, young people will look for another way to do it (vape),” he said.

The Herald Sun reported last month that teachers have been forced to educate children as young as year five and six on the dangers of vaping, with children selling and using them at school. Others buy them online on illegal sites or are even given them by parents in the mistaken belief they are safe.

Parents Victoria chief executive Gail McHardy said parents and schools needed to work together on preventative measures to stop kids vaping on school grounds.

“Parenting Victoria feels for both schools and parents as they try their best to manage these challenges but they can’t combat vaping in complete isolation,” Ms McHardy said.