LUFKIN, Texas — A new state law will require any student caught with a vape be sent to a disciplinary alternative education program or DAEP.
Lufkin ISD’s DAEP was always meant for students that start fights, bring weapons to school or present some other violent danger to campus. But now due to House Bill 114, students can be sent there for 15 days for having a vape.
"During that 15 days, students will go through their normal coursework that they’d complete at their home campus. They will also complete a vaping course that’ll give the student more information," said Adam Craft, principal at Lufkin's ACE Alternative School.
Craft said he’s worried the new bill could overwhelm faculty at their DAEP campus.
"Our concern is that at some point this could push us beyond the 15-1 limit the state has set for us. Typically, your DAEP is for more serious offenses," Craft said.
Just three weeks into school, Lufkin’s DAEP is 16% full with vaping offenders, but soon, that number could grow fast.
Punishing kids with addictive vapes is covered. But to educate and help them make better choices in the future, Lufkin ISD has The Coalition that includes educational programs and presentations to show the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
"There’s been quite a few studies done on the actual ingredients inside the vapes, and really the bottom line is that none of it is meant to be ingested in your lungs," said Sharon Kruk, the executive director at The Coalition.
Kruk said the mission is to prevent substance abuse. The Coalition specifically looks at environmental factors to help prevent addiction, specifically for kids in Angelina County.
Kruk is not a fan of the bill, and she wants lawmakers to focus more on stopping vaping at the source.
"And amend HB 114, so that there is a cessation aspect to that. Like we understand we don’t want kids vaping and consequences are there. But if they’re truly addicted, they can’t just put it down," Kruk said.