According to a report by Community Impact on October 30th, a new state law in Texas went into effect on September 1st which mandates that students using, possessing, or selling e-cigarettes, marijuana, or THC must participate in a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP). Despite concerns from officials about enforcing this requirement, the number of students using e-cigarettes has decreased in both districts.
Since the implementation of the new legislation, the usage of e-cigarettes has decreased significantly compared to the past two years,” stated Principal Travis Motal.
According to the student administration director, Bryan Miller, the incidents of nicotine e-cigarette usage in the Leander area have decreased by nearly 30% from mid-August to mid-October last year.
Mortal emphasized that in the 2022-23 academic year, over 170 students in the Leander area faced disciplinary action for using e-cigarettes or tobacco. For first-time offenders and their parents, the district will also discuss the potential consequences in the future.
In dealing with the issue of e-cigarettes, both regions have adopted a disciplinary approach where first-time offenders will be subjected to school suspension, and second-time offenders will be sent to the LEO Center, although the sentence is shorter than the original DAEP sentence. “Our ultimate goal is to get kids to stop smoking e-cigarettes, so we believe that a more lenient approach is more appropriate for first-time offenders,” summarized Motar.
