Warren Central High School staff have become increasingly concerned in recent years about the rise of vaping among students. These issues are not unique to Warren, and national data shows that vaping is a worldwide evolving problem.
Warren administrators are addressing the problem head-on with a more strict drug-free policy and numerous programs to support students who need assistance. Warren wants to combine disciplinary action with education, aiming to help students make better decisions rather than simply disciplining them.
“The earlier we can begin talking with students and providing programs that deter and keep kids away from these devices, the best route we can take as a school community,” said Dean Channing Russell, who serves grades 10-12 with the last names A through Gi.
According to the WCHS 2025-2026 vape policy, the first offense will earn students a meeting with their administrator, confiscation of the vaping device, four days of Out of School Suspension, or OSS, parent contact with a note saying what they did in detail, and a substance abuse lesson on Edmentum or with a social worker.
The second offense is the same, but instead offers seven days of OSS and a referral to substance abuse programs or counseling sessions at the Moorehead Community Center.
Finally, the third offense is the same, but with 10 days of OSS and possible expulsion or alternative placement, as well as mandatory enrollment and completion in a substance abuse program or counseling sessions at the Moorehead Community Center.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also known as the CDC, about 14% of U.S. high school students reported using e-cigarettes in 2022, and flavored vapes were the most common. In Indiana, the Indiana Capital Chronicle reported that 5% or 15,000 high school students in the state use e-cigarettes.
Although vaping has declined over many years, it is still a major health concern for everyone who feels the need to do it. One reason e-cigarettes have gotten more popular than traditional smoking among teens is that they are shown as safer and “cooler” than traditional cigarettes.
According to Russell, school leaders must educate students about the dangers of vaping earlier in their lives in order to prevent it.
“Unfortunately, schools are seeing the possession and use of vape devices entering schools at younger and younger ages,” he said. “I don't know exactly why students gravitate towards vaping, but we can see the societal influences from these devices in social media, at gas stations … and in the hands of role models they see on a day-to-day basis.”
Many students admit that peer pressure, stress, and curiosity are the reasons they start vaping and eventually become addicted to it. Warren administrators encourage students to speak out. Vaping isn’t “epic,” they say. It’s dangerous.
“I wish more students would be vocal because it’s romanticized and it’s made to seem like it’s cool with a lot of kids,” Grade 10-12 (GI-O) Dean Eboney Crowe said. “But [they] don’t understand the long-term effects. And even minimizing it by using 'Geek Bars' with nicotine is just as bad.”
Parents are strongly encouraged to stay engaged with their students' lives and to openly talk about risk. Parents are also encouraged to notice warning signs like declining grades, mood swings and changing friend groups for the worse. Students can also watch out for these signs in their peers and friends.
“Try to stay positive and as encouraging as you can,” Grade 9 Dean Jacob O’Neill said. “Just focus on keeping the student busy on certain other productive things. Just keep them busier and keep their mind off it, as opposed to trying to get them to quit. Also, just take them away and get them involved in other things. There are classes available at the Moorhead Community Center, and the Marion County Health Department has resources.”
According to a study done by Daniel Overbeek and other researchers for “Critical Reviews in Toxicology,” 40% of high school seniors reported using vapes in the past year, since it is targeted to people 18 and under, with advertisements and flavors meant to glamorize it and make it easy to get addicted.
Most advertisements do not show how detrimental vaping can be to one’s health, though. They focus on highlighting the ways to get young people to buy the projects and how “amazing” vaping is. But, constantly vaping is shown to have long-term effects on one’s body and can cause many diseases.
“The pulmonary risks of vaping are rapidly emerging, with the most immediately alarming being the condition ‘electronic-cigarette/vaping associated lung injury, EVALI’” Overbeek’s findings stated. “Additionally, there have been more recent studies showing extrapulmonary effects including cardiovascular, immunologic and neuro-developmental effects.”
According to school leaders, Warren Central will continue to closely watch the growing problem and help its students stay mentally and physically healthy.