One of the growing problems at Bowie has been the vaping epidemic that has taken over our halls. Students clamor to bathrooms between classes and during lunches to hit their various vapes.

“I think they need more information, a lot of students just try it because their friend is doing it and then they don’t even know what they’re vaping and that’s the most important thing because those chemicals could be causing brain damage,” PE Coach Rita Gonzales said.

Many students attempt to hit their devices in class and challenge themselves to conceal the released smoke.

“[Students are]  just trying to see if they can get away with it in class. It’s a challenge,” Anatomy Teacher Renee Keyes said, “I am totally against [students vaping], it is a terrible habit and an expensive habit.

An anonymous teacher that refused to be named stated that students should choose their punishment rather than get assigned a referral on the spot.

“I’ll tell you what I’ve been doing, I take it and I let them choose; referral, or I’ll tell your coach if you’re an athlete, or I will call your mom,” said the anonymous teacher.

Gonzales feels that vaping is dangerous for the health of the students and she has also experienced students of hers attempting to conceal a vape in her class.

“It’s dangerous because sometimes they don’t even know what they’re vaping,” Gonzales said, ““I confiscated two that I saw and they handled it in the office there.”

Gonzales also feels that the students caught should be punished accordingly and depending on what it is inside the vape.

“Depends on what’s in it nicotine or thc but they should be punished accordingly,” Gonzales said.

An increasing number of students are getting caught with “Juuls” or “Phixes” around the Bowie Campus and teachers like Keyes are at a loss for what to do about this growing problem.

“The school is too big,” Keyes said, “I don’t know how to stop it.”