The Midway ISD Board of Trustees heard encouraging results at its September meeting: vape detectors installed across secondary campuses have dramatically reduced student vaping incidents. Administrators reported that the devices are making campuses safer and healthier for students.
“Our goal was to protect students and provide a deterrent, and that’s exactly what has happened,” said Paul Offill, Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services. “We’re responding faster, and students know the consequences. It’s changing behavior.”
The data backs it up. In the 2023–24 school year, vaping incidents reached 102 at Midway High School, 15 at Midway Middle School, and 14 at River Valley Middle School. After vape detectors were installed last winter, those numbers dropped sharply — to 30 at Midway High and just 5 at MMS and 2 at RVMS during the Spring semester of the 2024–25 school year.
Administrators at each campus say the devices have transformed how they address vaping.
“We’ve seen the number of incidents go down significantly since installation,” said Midway High School Principal Alison Smith. “The detectors give us the ability to act quickly and send a clear message to students that vaping has no place on our campus.”
Superintendent Dr. Chris Allen emphasized the broader impact.
“The health and well-being of our students comes first,” Allen said. “Vape detectors are one more tool that shows Midway takes student safety seriously, and we will continue to use every resource available to support our kids.”
