A high school in Oakland County is placing vape detectors in each of its restrooms to discourage and monitor student use throughout school hours.
Berkley High School principal Andy Meloche delivered a letter to families and students on Tuesday informing them of the imminent deployment of vape detectors in all 20 of the school’s bathrooms. Following a student-led campaign, school administrators also built two gender-neutral bathrooms.
He stated that the school is “constantly searching for ways to enhance the safety of our facilities while ensuring we strive to create a friendly and welcoming atmosphere for every one of our kids and employees.”
The deployment of vape detectors coincides with the rising school district’s worry over student vaping. The detectors will identify vapor from electronic cigarettes as well as other vaping products and will notify administrators.
According to the letter, the effort was spurred by Oakland Schools Technical Campus “expressed satisfaction with their purchase of vape detectors. In essence, they found a drop in the prevalence of vaping in bathrooms as well as an improvement in the level of comfort of children visiting the bathroom. We aspire to have the same level of success “Meloche stated in his letter.
The two gender-neutral bathrooms are situated on both the first and second floors of the school and are open to all students and staff irrespective of sexual orientation. The facility also has three single-person private bathrooms.
The improved privacy stalls, which are taller than a standard stall and stretch to the floor, are one variation between the two bathrooms’ interiors. They are also intended to reduce sight lines from beyond the stalls.
The restrooms will be supervised in the same way that other facilities are: by hall monitors and administrators who are urged to employ gender-neutral bathrooms for additional adult involvement.
“While we recognize that some of these modifications may seem novel and unique to us, the premise that Berkley High School works hard to establish safe environments for all kids is definitely not new or unusual,” Meloche said. “We’re really pleased that our students always push us to improve at what we do, which helps us move ahead.”
