Lincoln (Nebraska) district to install vaping detectors in school bathrooms
After a successful pilot program to curb student vaping in the bathrooms at one high school, the Lincoln (Nebraska) district plans to install detection alarms above bathroom stalls in all of its high schools and middle schools.
KLIN Radio reports that the detection alarms look like a smoke detector but are highly sensitive and have been calibrated to detect nicotine vapors and THC, which is frequently smoked through vape cartridges.
Lincoln’s Student Services Director Ryan Zabawa says a pilot program at Lincoln East High School proved successful.
“We had 98 alarms in that first week, which obviously is a lot during the school day… and by the end of our pilot, we only had four alarms,” Zabawa said.
Going forward, the district will be installing these detectors in the district’s other high schools and middle schools, using funds it received from a lawsuit settlement with major vaping brand JUUL. Lincoln has eight high schools and 12 middle schools, its website says.
When a student is caught vaping, Zabawa says, parents are notified and vape devices are confiscated.
Mississippi law restricts use of school bathrooms by transgender people
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has signed legislation that will prohibit transgender people from using bathrooms that correspond with their gender identities in state public schools.
The Hill reports that the “Securing Areas for Females Effectively and Responsibly Act” requires all public education institutions to have single-sex restrooms, changing areas and dormitories.
The legislation defines one’s sex as “‘solely determined by a birth’ without regard to the fluidity of how someone acts or feels.'”
This means individuals will only be allowed to go into spaces that match their sex assigned at birth despite their appearance or any gender-affirming procedures.
The Mississippi law is the latest in a series of bills introduced by conservative lawmakers targeting LGBTQ policies. The American Civil Liberties Union estimates that 515 bills have been introduced across the nation this year.
Mississippi is one of 15 Republican-led states that have sued the federal government over new Title IV regulations that add protections for transgender students.
California enacts law requiring gender-neutral bathrooms in public schools
The Los Angeles Times reports that the law calls for K-12 public schools to have at least one gender-neutral restroom for students by 2026. The law requires the bathroom to be available during school hours and functions when students are present.
