School boards update smoke-free policy language to include vaping, cannabis

The Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board has added vaping and cannabis to their smoke-free regulations.

Fulvio Valentinis, board chair, said it's simply bringing the board's policies into compliance with the Smoke Free Ontario Act. 

"Cannabis and vaping is going to be subject to the same rules as smoking," said Valentinis. "You can't have it or be in possession of it within 20 metres of school property."

The Greater Essex County District School Board revised its policies in February 2019 to include cannabis and e-cigarettes in its language. 

Valentinis said vaping or cannabis on school properties is increasingly becoming a problem across the province, but not specifically locally.

Devkaran Brar, a 12th grader at Assumption Catholic Secondary School, said while he agrees that vaping shouldn't be done on school property, he feels "there shouldn't be as big of a taboo as there are for cigarettes on school property."

But Emily Ouellette isn't convinced the new rules will do much.

"Doesn't really matter, because kids are still going to do it," she said, but mentioned some students may be more scared to vape.

Stephen Fields, communications coordinator for the WECDSB said they don't track offences specific to vaping, but that they could result in suspension which might be classified under a number of different titles. 

Fields did say that from speaking to school principals, there was a greater concern recently with more students vaping on school property. 

The new language takes effect immediately after it was passed at Tuesday's board meeting.