Walking into their first day of school, students were met with new vape detectors and signs outside restrooms, warning about the consequences of vape ownership. As Broward County tightens its security policies to improve safety and student learning, students wonder if Miami-Dade will follow in their footsteps.
Broward County has issued new safety policies, like required clear backpacks for all students, as of the 2023-2024 school year. This policy applies from kindergarten to senior year and has helped security to identify prohibited items.
“I feel like Miami-Dade is leaning towards stricter policies which began with the vape detectors. The policy Broward has for their clear backpacks is an invasion of privacy. If I’m bringing something valuable, embarrassing or useful in my backpack, I don’t want other people knowing. It could make it easier for belongings to get taken. I think Miami-Dade has already started becoming stricter and I’m not in agreement,” sophomore Andres Kardjian said.
Besides limiting the freedom of choice towards students’ backpacks, the Broward County School Board voted unanimously to obstruct the use of cell phones and headphones on campus. Schools in Broward prohibit cell phones throughout the day, storing them away in a secure location, but also allowing students to access them for emergencies. Any type of headphones or ear-buds were banned to keep students attentive during class.
“There’s research where students benefit from less phone usage by taking away their dopamine machine, but it just depends on the kid. I take phones for when students go to the bathroom but the reason I’ve never taken phones in general is because if they break or get wet, I’ll have to pay for all of them. The clear backpacks could work cause students to think twice about what they bring, but it might cause privacy issues. Anything could work if you’re willing to enforce it,” Mr. Miller said.
This 2024-2025 school year, Coral Gables officers installed vape detectors on the roofs of each bathroom on the Gables campus, with the intention of keeping them drug free. These new detectors contain technology that reads levels of different gases in the bathroom throughout the day. It analyzes the amount of oxygen, carbon dioxide, nicotine, decibels and other gases in the restroom and gives security a notification when vapes are being used.
“I feel like the Broward policies are a little foolish and our vape detectors do not correlate with their policies. For the Broward rule on phones, I feel like it should be taken at least class by class so students can use them during passing time, lunch, and even when they need them in class. However, I don’t feel that Miami-Dade is leaning to stricter policies and the vape detectors are a good add on,” sophomore Nathaniel Woods said.
When the vape detectors sense chemicals from the vape smoke, a notification is sent to administration including the principal, assistant principals and campus police officers. It provides the location of the bathroom so security can stop the vapes from harming student’s health.
“The reason we enforce the vape detectors is because a lot of kids nowadays don’t understand the impact that nicotine has on their bodies. In high school you’re 14-17 and your body is not fully developed leading to effects on your lungs, kidneys and the rest of your bodies. We try to keep kids from harming themselves and not causing long term damage for the future,” school officer Kyle Gerdts said.
Nicotine can negatively affect adolescents’ maturing brain regions and circulatory system, causing more damage over time. When kids reach adolescence, their brains are still developing, making them more susceptible to permanent damage. Addiction to the drug often leads to heart attacks and other health complications.
Due to nicotine’s harmful affects, many schools have taken measures to prohibit vapes, including Gables, with the addition of vape detectors. Gables takes the first step towards higher security and surveillance to help protect its students. Whether this level of security works will be a question answered over time.
