Osceola County will soon be one step closer to putting vape detectors in middle and high schools across the district, as County Commissioners are set to finalize an agreement using money from the state’s opioid settlement fund.
The School District of Osceola County will enter into an agreement with the county to use $191,885 from the opioid settlement funds to create a vape detection program. The detectors will be placed in 19 schools to help staff identify students bringing vapes on campus.
The FDA reports that 5.2% of middle and high school students reported using e-cigarette products and more than 1 in 4 of those students said they use them daily.
“Yeah, definitely start young, make sure they know what’s going to happen if they don’t stop. It’s a lifelong addiction the most time,” Taelor Handley, a parent, told News 6.
The Osceola County Board of Commissioners is set to vote on the agreement Monday at 1:30 p.m.
The district identified schools based on high vaping-related referral data. Detectors will be installed at the following 19 campuses:
- High schools: Celebration, Gateway, Harmony, Liberty, Nova Lakes, Osceola, Poinciana, St. Cloud, and Tohopekaliga high schools.
- Alternative schools: New Beginnings Education Center and Zenith Accelerated Academy.
- Middle schools: Horizon, Kissimmee, Denn John, St. Cloud, Harmony and Parkway middle schools, along with Knights Point K-8 School and Discovery Intermediate School.
Installation will be completed by qualified technicians, potentially outside of regular school hours to minimize disruption to students.
Once in place, the detectors will provide real-time alerts to designated staff, allowing them to respond quickly, document incidents, and connect students with school-based or community prevention and cessation services. The district says it will track and report the number of vaping-related referrals, as well as the number of students connected to cessation programs throughout the agreement period.
The goal is to achieve a 25% reduction in vaping-related incidents compared to the 2024-2025 school year.