New this year there is a QR code for students to use to report vaping incidences in the bathroom.

The deans have come out with this new QR code that allows anyone to scan and report other students for vaping, and it is completely anonymous. The QR code is located right outside of the bathrooms; after students scan it. they are led to a Google form that asks general questions like what floor they are on, where the nearest restroom is, whether it is male or female, and what time it occurred. That information is sent to the deans, and it is out of the student’s hands from there.

“There have been a few confirmed reports,” said dean Jon Sawyer on the success of this code.

As for what else the school is doing to help reduce this problem, they are providing educational programs within health classes and outside of them.

“I think that the proper education will help. If students are in different areas of performance, they must consider their goals, and hopefully the proper education will help that,” said student assistance program coordinator Jenny Anderson

Vaping has started to become a problem within schools and the environment alike as students begin to test their boundaries.

As its popularity increases, an important question arises. Patented in the 1960s but taking off in the early 2000s, the purpose of these devices was to help stop smoking cigarettes but ended up becoming a problem on its own. Most students believe that it is a healthy alternative to smoking and aren’t aware of its effects.

“People are under the impression that it is safe,” Sawyer said.

According to “Psychology Today,” there are five main health risks to vaping that include mouth problems, addiction, potential drug experimentation, lung damage, and impaired brain development. Recently there have been seven confirmed deaths linked specifically to THC vapes.

“Just like with cigarettes, vaping is fairly new. We don’t know what long term effects it will have,” said associate principal for student services Megan Licht.