Charter School Parents: It’s up to YOU to Inform Your Kids of the Dangers of Vaping
Parents, talk to your kids about the dangers of vaping… especially if they attend a charter school, where such instruction may be ignored.
There is a dangerous vaping epidemic in our schools. 2018 Florida Youth Survey data revealed 7.8% of middle school and 24.8% of high school students reported vaping in the previous 30 days. Statistics from 2012-2018 in Florida indicate electronic vaping increased among 11-17 year olds over 500%. Due to aggressive social media marketing campaigns aimed directly at teens, those numbers continued to rise.
Originally marketed to chronic smokers as a healthier alternative to cigarette use, the damaging effects of e-cigarette use, especially in teens, are now being clearly recognized. This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported it is now aware of 380 confirmed and probable cases of lung disease associate with e-cigarette use across 36 states.
Last month, in response to First Lady Casey DeSantis’ concerns regarding vaping and other substance abuse issue, the Florida Board of Education approved Rule 6A-1.094122, which established a mechanism ensuring Florida K-12 students receive substance use and abuse education, including the dangers of vaping. The rule’s Executive Summary said: “Understanding and avoiding hazardous substances are key to the well-being of our youth. Education on the prevention of substance use and abuse provides the knowledge, tools, and skills to help prevent drug addiction.”
The rule does not apply to charter schools.
When FLBOE board member Marva Johnson questioned whether they could apply such rules to charter schools, Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran’s response was: since charters are “full choice options” and since parents choose whether or not to send their children to charters, charters are given more flexibility by the legislature. Charters, he said, were created to “offer something that is innovative and different” so they are free to offer or not offer instruction required for other public school children and “the market” will determine whether parents support those decisions or not…
Ignoring the health hazards of the current vaping epidemic may not be offering anything innovative but it certainly is “different”… We believe all families should be given as much information as necessary to keep their children healthy and safe. This should not be about school choice but about parent engagement and student well-being.
We recommend ALL parents talk to their kids about the dangers of vaping (TODAY!). Parents must, also, be aware: IF your child attends a charter school, it may be up to YOU to ensure your child receive the vital information to stop this epidemic. We encourage charter school parents to contact their schools and demand that ALL children receive this vital, potentially life saving information.
At Accountabaloney, we believe that families should be given as much information as possible. As parents of school aged children (one of us is a retired pediatrician), we also are here to help. Here are some resources to help you talk to your kids about issues related to vaping:
5 facts about vaping to talk about with your teen
E-Cigarettes: Talk to Youth About the Risks
E-cigarettes and Youth: What Parents Need to Know
Outbreak of Lung Disease Associated with E-Cigarette Use, or Vaping
The Inhalation of Harmful Chemicals Can Cause Irreversible Lung Damage and Lung Disease