US Schools To Offer ‘Treatment’ Rather Than Punishment For Vapers
After spotting a few what he described as students in ‘peak physical fitness’ vaping at his school a headteacher has decided to tackle the issue with treatment rather than punishment.
Whilst this again seems like painting ‘Vape’ and ‘Vape Products’ as the consumate enemy, the onus still has to fall on education and of course parental intervention to9 keep under 18’s away from it, however at least this particular school has seen fit to slightly alter their remedial approach as opposed to knee-jerk severity often adopted by various authorities and individuals.
Apparently seeing the kids taking a toot ‘broke his heart’ and now Stamford High School Principal Raymond Manka reckons punishment is not enough:
We’ve got to figure out how we can help these kids wean away from bad habits that might hurt their body or their mind or otherwise create behaviours that can create habits that will be harmful for the remainder of their lives.
And according to the lofty Washington Post, other schools across America are considering the same approach. Kids caught vaping would initially be offered some form of short term counselling or ‘treatment’ with repeat ‘offenders’ given longer sessions and suspension.
One school in California has stopped immediately suspending kids caught vaping and instead sent them to a 4 hour Saturday morning class on the ‘dangers’ of vaping.
Luis Lichtl, from the school district involved said:
I think we are seeing quite a bit of success, basing it on the reduction this year in both the number of incidents reported on campus and the number of suspensions.
Linda Richter from the Center on Addiction in New York said:
To expect a 13, 14 or 15-year-old to break an addiction by yelling at them or suspending them, it’s just not going to happen.
They need help, treatment, counselling, support, education and understanding.
All very worthy I’m sure, I just wonder if the same amount of time and effort is spent on kids ‘caught’ smoking and drinking alcohol…two far more deadly habits young people tend to try…