Providing support, encouragement, and resources to help keep our students safe and healthy is a priority for us here in East Penn. Like you, we are alarmed at recent reports of life-threatening health complications that have occurred in young people across the country that may be linked to vaping. Below are some recent news stories about this frightening epidemic:
- https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/severe-lung-disease.html
- https://www.mcall.com/news/pennsylvania/mc-nws-pa-vaping-college-student-hospitalized-20190905-opg3yu3qpng7fi4ia2rzc2w7xy-story.html
- https://www.foxnews.com/health/maryland-vaping-lung-illness
- https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/31/health/vaping-marijuana-ecigarettes-sickness.html
- https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/08/30/health/vaping-lung-disease-texas-teen/index.html
In East Penn, we are working to address this health concern in the following ways:
- Including vaping education as a key component of our health and physical education curriculum for all secondary students
- Enforcing discipline when students are caught using and/or sharing these devices in school
- Offering a smoking cessation program to first-time offenders and others who need support
- Educating teachers and other staff members about vaping so that they can recognize signs of use and help educate students about risks associated with it
If you don’t know much about this new trend, you are not alone. Below are links to some basic information about vaping that you can use to educate yourself and to start a dialogue with your child.
Information about Vaping from the CDC
Tip Sheet from the Surgeon General on Talking to Your Child About Vaping
We ask that you talk with your student about the dangers associated with vaping/e-cigarettes.
If your child is vaping and ready to quit, we can help. Through our partnership with Communities in Schools and the Caron Foundation, any East Penn Student can participate in a free, 8-week smoking cessation program here in the district. To register your child for an upcoming session, please contact Tammy Patterson at tammypatterson@eastpennsd.org or by calling our high school main office at 610-965-1650. In partnership with you, we hope to reduce student use of these devices and increase community awareness about this dangerous trend.