SANTA BARBARA As the number of vaping-associated lung injuries and deaths in the U.S. continue to climb, Santa Barbara Unified School District seems to be taking action.
Camie Barnwell, the spokesperson of SBUSD, sent a message via ParentSquare (the communication app utilized by the district) to notify parents about the increase in vaping throughout campuses.
“We are responding to this increase through a combination of education and traditional disciplinary action, and by sending students the very clear message that vaping is extremely dangerous to their health,” wrote Ms. Barnwell.
A report released Thursday by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave an update on the vaping situation in the U.S.
According to the report, eighteen deaths have been confirmed across 15 states; from 48 states and 1 U.S. territory, 1,080 lung injury cases associated with vaping have been reported to CDC. The patients are disproportionately young men: about 70 percent of patients are male, and approximately 80 percent of patients are under 35 years old. Of all the patients, 37 percent was aged 20 and younger.
As part of their effort to address vaping, SBUSD will host a series of forums. The first one takes place at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 29 in Washington Elementary School, 290 Lighthouse Rd.
