Stricter Penalties for E-Cigarette Use in Schools

Starting this next school year, students caught with e-cigarettes at school will face stricter penalties. The Waxahachie ISD Board of Trustees approved changes to the school's code of conduct for 2023-24 during a special meeting on Tuesday.

One significant amendment to the code of conduct is in response to House Bill 114, which now requires students who possess, use, sell, give, deliver, or are under the influence of e-cigarettes within 300 feet of school property or at a school-related event to be placed in a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP).

Previously, the district would send a student to DAEP only if the violation involved a device with THC. However, under the new legislation, the district no longer has the discretion to place students in lesser disciplinary infractions such as in-school suspension.

To accommodate these new offenses, the district has created a tiered DAEP placement program with shorter durations for e-cigarette violations compared to THC violations. Students who are caught with e-cigarettes will be placed in DAEP for less time.

If the DAEP is at full capacity, offending students will receive in-school suspension until there is space available. The district anticipates that the prevalence of e-cigarette use may increase the numbers in DAEP, but they hope that with strong enforcement, they can limit these incidents.

Additionally, the district has installed vape detectors at its secondary campuses to further reduce the number of vaping incidents.

In other changes to the code of conduct, the requirement for mandatory expulsion for felony marijuana, THC, and alcohol-related offenses has been removed. Instead, education and support services will be provided to the student and parents for offenses involving e-cigarettes.