LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Kentucky high school now has a new tool to stop students from vaping on campus.
LaRue County High School installed vape detectors in all of the bathrooms before the start of the new school year.
"The first three days of them being in use, we confiscated 15 vapes," said Eric Allen, director of student services for LaRue County Schools.
Allen helped write the grant to put vape detectors in the high school.
"Just trying to protect our student’s safety and health," he said.
And so far, the school has caught a lot of students blowing smoke.
"The first day those things keyed on it was all day, nonstop the first day we confiscated nine vapes," Hodgenville Police Officer Kevin Bennett said.
Bennett, who is also the school resource officer at the high school, said since then, they have confiscated more than 20.
"So I mean, it's making a difference, and the numbers went way down," he said.
Bennett said vaping has been a problem at both the middle and high school.
"Yeah, it's been a growing issue and like it's just, it was getting out of hand," he said.
Each bathroom in the high school has a vape detector installed in the ceiling, but unlike smoke detectors, there's no alarm.
"It doesn't do anything as far as making noise or bringing attention to itself," Allen said. "It just sends text and email notifications to our principals, assistant principals and SROs."
"Which I know kids, they're gonna find ways around stuff and everything but it's just more of a deterrent to keep it from doing it here," Bennett said.
There's also a drop-box in the high school for students who want to turn in vapes and for those who don't, there are consequences.
"And it depends on what kind of vape ... if it's a nicotine vapor or a THC vape. There's different levels of consequences," Allen said.
Eventually, the school district hopes to install vape detectors in the middle school as well.
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