MANISTIQUE, Mich. (WZMQ) – As vaping continues to be a concern for many parents and teachers, one Upper Peninsula school is working to keep vape pens out of students’ hands.
In recent years, Manistique Area Middle and High School Principal John Shiner has watched the rise of vaping become a serious issue among students.
“It’s not a Manistique Area Schools problem; it’s a problem across the country,” he said. “[Companies] come up with cute colors and cute names that make little children want to buy them, so they’re absolutely targeting the youth of our country, and Manistique is no different than the rest of our country.”
The district has been proactive, educating students on the risks of vaping. Last school year, administrators decided they wanted to take their efforts a step further.
“We also have the responsibility to the other kids who are not bringing it in the school,” said Shiner. “We felt like we had to draw a hard line and make it uncomfortable for them to bring it here.”
Manistique Area Schools partnered with the city and the county courts to introduce an anti-vaping initiative.
“There is a fine that is assessed when a kid is caught with one that does not go to the school system, it does not pad the city’s bottom line,” Shiner explained. “Basically, it just covers the cost to make this process run.”
The process is intended to get parents’ attention and encourage them to play an active role in vaping prevention.
“It’s never a fun conversation to call home and say, ‘Hey, I caught your kid with a vape,’ but I think in the end everyone sees the big picture,” Shiner said. “We’re not doing it just to zap someone. We’re doing it because we don’t believe they should be in school.”
Since the initiative began, Shiner has seen a decrease in vaping among students. He says helping young people develop healthy habits is essential to their overall education.
“It’s just one small part of how we treat the whole child,” he said. “Children these days face a lot of barriers that someone that’s 56 did not have to face when we were young. At the Manistique Area Schools, we try to take all of that into consideration as we’re educating our kids.”
Click here for information on the beginning of the 2023 – 2024 school year at Manistique Area Schools.
