A NUMBER OF schools have removed the outer doors of bathrooms on their campuses in an effort to crack down on vaping, as they struggle to find ways to deal with the large numbers of students using vapes during school hours. 

Parents of students from one school in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan were upset to find out, through their children, that this decision was taken without their consultancy.

One parent expressed to The Journal that their daughter found the decision to be impeding on their privacy as her daughter would find it “embarrassing” for anyone to hear her using the toilet facilities, when walking by, and that the removal of the outer doors makes that more likely. 

“My main concern is that there’s been no sort of respect considered to the students in this process,” the mother said.

She added: “It’s a very real situation for a teenager, if you put yourself into their minds. They feel a little bit exposed.”

The parent said that the decision was taken to remove the doors as a number of students had been going into the bathroom to vape.

She said she was “mostly frustrated” that the school chose not to consult any of the parents before taking the decision to remove the doors and said she would not be sending her daughter back to school until the doors were placed back.

A spokesperson for the school, Inver College, said: “The school made the decision to remove doors from the corridor leading into the toilets.  This decision was taken for operational and health and safety reasons.”

They told The Journal: “It is important to emphasise that there are no privacy concerns associated with the removal of these corridor doors. The doors on all the cubicles within the toilets have remained intact, ensuring the facilities continue to have the necessary privacy and comfort.”

They added that the practice of having open corridors leading into bathroom areas is not unique to the school and is common practice in schools across the country.

The Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill was accepted by Cabinet in May and plans to ban the sale of vaping products to under 18s. It is currently being examined and debated at committee level.

Therefore, no legislation currently exists in Ireland that exclusively bans the sale of the devices to children – though, it is common practice for shopkeepers to ask for proof-of-age and to not sell the items to under-18s.

An issue in every school

Paul Thornton, the principal of a school in Carlow, said vaping is an issue in “every post-primary secondary school across the country”. Thornton said that his school, Tullow Community School, had removed the outer doors of their bathrooms as well.

The principal said they had told the parents the reasons why the decision was being taken and the school has assessed that the toilets were in a suitable position so that no one would see into the bathroom.

Compared to smoking, vaping devices have no distinct smell and it can be difficult to detect if a student is smoking a vape on the grounds, Thornton said.

His school has taken steps to try combat vaping by prohibiting the devices and the use of them on school grounds and increased the monitoring of their toilets.

Thornton told The Journal that students who are caught vaping receive an instant suspension from school, and the device is taken off the student and given to their parent.

Some of the devices they have confiscated were found to have modifications that allowed the device to contain and burn liquid that has been infused with THC, found in marijuana.

Surveys of Irish school-aged children (the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Survey 2018 and the European Schools Project on Alcohol and other Drugs 2019) show that 9% of 12-to-17-year-olds and 15.5% of 15 and 16-year-olds used electronic cigarettes in the previous 30 days.

An evidence review by the Health Research Board found that children who vaped were five times more likely to go on and start smoking.

A separate HSE focus group study, published in 2020, found that the devices were popular among the 13-15 year old cohort.

President of the Irish Second-level Students’ Union Shari Irfan said the “aggressive” marketing of e-cigarettes to young people “has led to a crisis in our schools”.

“It is alarming to note that the average age for people starting to vape is between 13 to 15,” he said.

We must acknowledge the serious health risks that come with vaping and take immediate action to protect students. Education is key here.”

Irfan added: “Students need to be equipped with knowledge and tools to make informed decisions about their own health.”

When the legislation is enacted, shopkeepers could face fines of up to €4,000 if they supply someone under the age of 18 with an e-cigarette device. 

A spokesperson for the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) told The Journal that teachers work to enable students to make positive choices regarding their safety, health and welfare, through class work in SPHE, PE and TY programmes.

“Schools are smoke free zones,” the spokesperson said. “School policies reflect this and outline sanctions for instances where school policy is breached. These policies are updated regularly to reflect emerging issues.”

Thornton said their school’s codes of conduct now prohibit the use of the devices on school campus, which all students must sign.