Melbourne High installs metal detectors outside bathrooms to curb vaping

Metal detectors installed outside bathrooms to curb vaping

Students at Melbourne High School will now be screened with metal detectors before using campus restrooms as part of a crackdown on vaping.

Students at Melbourne High School will now be screened with metal detectors before using campus restrooms as part of a crackdown on vaping.

School officials in Brevard County said the new measures are aimed at preventing students from bringing vaping devices into bathrooms, where administrators say the devices have become a growing problem.

Why you should care:

Because vapes contain metal components, students must pass through a handheld metal detector before entering.

District leaders said several schools have also closed certain bathrooms in response to vaping involving nicotine, marijuana or other substances.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX LOCAL APP

Rather than focusing solely on discipline, administrators said the goal is to prevent vaping before it happens.

Some parents said they support the effort, citing concerns about addiction and the difficulty of detecting vaping compared with traditional cigarettes.

SIGN-UP FOR FOX 35'S BREAKING NEWS, DAILY NEWS NEWSLETTERS

Questions remain about staffing and whether schools have enough personnel to consistently operate the detectors throughout the day. Students are already screened at the start of each school day.

Over the next 30 days, district officials plan to consider additional measures, including vape-detection sensors and facial recognition technology, while reviewing what is legally permissible.