Kimberly High School installs vape detectors in bathrooms

KIMBERLY, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Kimberly High School received a grant to install detectors in the school bathrooms. These detectors can detect students vaping and other activities without violating their privacy.

“You know it’s hard to be in the bathroom and supervise - student privacy and things like that - but that is a place where students will go to use their vapes,” Kimberly High School Principal Darin Gonzales said.

A few weeks ago, Kimberly School District announced they secured grants to enhance student safety by installing Triton vape detectors in the restrooms. The detectors can identify smoke within 15 seconds, according to Gonzales.

“We’ll get an alert saying someone set off the detector,” Gonzales said. “We can look at our video to see who went into our bathroom.”

Students who are caught vaping could receive a suspension and a $75 citation.

“This is the camera that is set up outside of the bathrooms,” Gonzales said as he pointed to one of the cameras. There are two bathrooms here, the boys’ and girls’, and it will capture every student that goes in and out 24 hours a day. Inside here, there are two vape detectors for each bathroom.”

Vaping under the age of 21 is illegal. But it is not just nicotine the school is concerned about; it is also marijuana vapes, according to Student Resource Officer Austin Wells.

“The THC vapes are charged as a misdemeanor,” Wells said. “It carries a punishment up to one-year imprisonment and a fine no more than $1,000.”

Students are getting a hold of THC vapes by purchasing them online or by finding someone old enough to travel out of state to buy them and sell them, Wells said.

“For the THC vapes, that would be distributing at that point. If we catch them before they sell them, that would be possession with intent to distribute, and I believe that is a felony in the state of Idaho.”

Kimberly High School is also looking at the approach to enforcing consequences for vaping, Gonzales said

“Maybe try to do more education based for the first or second offense, have them take a class online, maybe doing a report on how vaping does affect your body,” Gonzales said.

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