Lakeland Regional High School is taking a new approach regarding vaping – instead of punishing students caught in the act, the school is pushing to get students help and guidance in quitting the habit. On November 21, 2019, LRHS will be hosting its first “Vapeout” to encourage students to begin the quitting process. 

According to Ms. Kelly Norton, the school’s student assistance counselor, “Many students are addicted to nicotine at this point and simply cannot stop.” Most students started out vaping because it is a trend, but now, like Ms. Norton states, they just can’t stop. 

During the “Vapeout,” students are encouraged to drop off their vape off with school administration. In return, students will receive pizza for lunch and a goodie bag full of information on vaping, ways to quit, and how to help themselves through cravings. The bag will also contain items to help students deal with the effects of nicotine withdrawal. 

The event, which was also kick-started by Assistant Principal Ms. Rita Mazza, is getting a good buzz around the building. According to Ms. Norton, “I have had a good number of students come forward on their own to tell me they’d like to quit, so I am anticipating a successful event.”

To clarify, this does not mean that there are not consequences for actions that go against school rules. However, Ms. Mazza reported to News12 New Jersey that LRHS understands that vaping is done for many reasons from addiction to peer pressure, and education and help is more effective in bringing students out of the cycle of addiction than detentions.

If these efforts of guiding students to a healthier path do not succeed, the staff here at LRHS will not stop trying to help. As Ms. Norton said, “I genuinely care so much about each and every one of the students at Lakeland, whether they believe it or not, and the last thing I want to see is something tragic happen to any of them.”