Vaping in schools: Students caught selling vapes, smoking in class

There has been a 771 per cent jump in the incidents of illegal vaping in schools as hundreds of students were caught “dealing” illegal e-cigarettes, or vaping on school grounds. See the list of school incident reports.

A high school has banned “early marks” while teachers have been told to crack down on students vaping in the classroom “and exhaling out the windows” amid a 771 per cent increase in e-cigarette incidents in schools.

Police in another part of the state have also made contact with the Education Department over rising numbers of primary school students being seen vaping, offering to help in the fight.

A school consultant said vaping had become so rampant that students were having what they dubbed “nic sicks” – a day off after vaping so much that they physically felt ill the next day.

The shocking details are contained in internal school incident reports obtained by the Labor Party, which reveal dozens of cases of students using social media to sell vapes, with one school also finding hundreds of dollars in a student’s bag.

Many students buy vapes illegally in bulk online and sell them in the playground.

There has been a shocking increase in vaping incidents in NSW schools. Picture: iStock/generic image

In response to the crisis, Labor leader Chris Minns has pledged to hold a roundtable on smoking and vaping in schools, and launching a health and safety campaign.

Tobacco treatment specialist Professor Renee Bittoun, who consults with schools on the issue, said there was an urgent need for a campaign on the dangers of vaping.

Professor Bittoun, who also consults with schools on the issue, said there was an urgent need for a government campaign on the dangers of vaping.

“We had some vapes analysed in a laboratory and found that all of them contained nicotine, some at hideous levels,” she said.

“A 15-year-old recently showed me a mega-vape bought off a friend for $45 where you get 3000 puffs in it. He was going through it twice a week. There urgently needs to be a campaign.”

Despite the pandemic disrupting schooling, internal departmental emails released in state parliament following a request from Labor show student vaping has continued to soar.

Among the documents was a departmental “critical reading” report prepared last year on the vaping situation among schools, which cited a “771 per cent increase” in “reports of student vaping or selling vaping liquid and accessories” from 2019-20 to the department’s incident report and support hotline.

“Vaping in adolescence can have devastating effects and lasting effects,” it said.

“The department has drafted correspondence to support principals in communicating with parents about this issue.

“We request all staff to remain vigilant and take appropriate opportunities to promote the department’s policy on smoking on school premises.”

A “mega vape” a student was smoking which delivers 3000 hits, compared with 1000 of a standard vape.

In NSW, it is illegal for e-cigarettes – also known as “vapes” – to be sold to anyone aged under 18 years. While adults are free to buy and use e-cigarettes, vapes containing nicotine require a prescription.

Vaping is not only banned on school grounds but also on transport to and from school as well as public transport stops and stations.

So concerned are police that Campbelltown Local Area Command sent an email in June last year to 38 primary schools in the area offering to conduct a presentation. It also invited principals to a forum.

Campbelltown Senior Constable Louise Mitchell said the offer was in response to “the recent increase in vaping in some of our local primary schools”.

“We will send out further information closer to the date but it would be great to see all our primary schools at this forum,” she said.

On the mid-north coast, vaping was so rampant among students that the principal of Coffs Harbour High School ordered staff to ban early marks from class and groups of students seeking to go to the toilets or sick bay.

Coffs Harbour High School Peter South has recognised a vaping issue at his school.

In a lengthy email sent to all staff, school principal Peter South said he had been made aware of students “vaping within classrooms and exhaling out the windows”.

“Sorry for the long and comprehensive email, but we have a significant issue in the school that needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency and I need to ensure that all staff are well informed,” he said.

Mr South wrote how senior school staff had thought vaping was “an emerging issue” involving predominantly older senior students.

However, he had since learned from “reliable” school sources that the issue was “far more significant”, with students in Year 7 also vaping.

Mr South said he had been told students were vaping in the classrooms “and exhaling out
the windows with teachers present in the room but not aware of what is happening”.

Groups of 3-4 students in Year 7 were also congregating in the toilets to vape, including after school.

“Junior boys and girls in general vaping in toilets,” he said.

Mr South said students were also “vaping on the buses”, “vaping before and after school”, “vaping walking between classes”, “somehow purchasing/obtaining product and reselling it to other students”.

Should the vapes being used contain nicotine, there were not only health but behavioural and engagement problems from students being loaded up with “large amounts of a stimulant drug”, especially if other ingredients such as cannabis oil were being added.

“I believe this is a much, much bigger issue than any one school and needs a Department of Health/whole-of-government response,” he said.

“However, I need for all staff to assist in doing our best to discourage this practice by targeting the times and places where students seem to be engaging in the practice at school.

“Staff can assist by keeping students in class during class time. This is not a request, it is a direction.”  

Mr South ordered teachers themselves to turn up to class on time, more frequent toilet patrols and ceasing expelling disruptive students from class if they could not be supervised.

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the government was working on a strategy to tackle vaping, looking at advertising and additional resources in schools.

“It’s important for schools to maintain a disciplinary approach to vaping, but we also need to recognise that schools reflect the community,” she said.

“What’s needed is a societal response to vaping, just like what we saw with smoking.

“This is why the NSW Government is working on a holistic approach aimed at educating parents, students and shifting attitudes in the community.”

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Originally published as Vaping in schools: Students caught selling vapes, smoking in class