Information About Student Vaping for School Administrators

Schools also have the authority to create their own policies about tobacco use (including e-cigarette use) on school property for students, staff, and visitors.

Here’s what you can do.

Table of Contents

Massachusetts Smoke-Free Workplace Law and Schools

The Massachusetts Smoke-Free Workplace Law prohibits smoking in all enclosed workplaces, including public and private schools. In addition, Massachusetts requires that all public schools through high school prohibit smoking on school grounds, on school buses, and at school sponsored events during normal school hours. The law is commonly referred to as the “Education Reform Act” (MG.L. ch. 270, §22(b)(2); MGL c. 71, §§2A, 37H; c. 90, §7B(10)). Then-Governor Baker signed legislation in 2018 that amends the “Education Reform Act” to include e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery products. This took effect on December 31, 2018.

Review and strengthen current school tobacco policy/Review disciplinary policies around vaping and consider alternatives to suspension

  • The Massachusetts Association of Health Boards developed guidance in 2018 for schools looking to address e-cigarettes in their school tobacco policy.
  • Public and Private Schools and The Massachusetts Smoke-Free Workplace Law – questions and answers for schools about the Smoke-Free Workplace Law
  • Massachusetts Law regarding Student Use of Tobacco Products – a link to state law about use of tobacco products within school buildings or facilities or on school grounds.
  • New! Safe disposal of found or confiscated vaping products. Many schools use found or confiscated products to educate school personnel and parents about vaping products. All e-cigarettes and vape products are considered hazardous waste due to batteries, nicotine, and other chemicals – they should not be included in regular trash collection and must be disposed of according to federal and state protocols. The police department, recycling coordinator or hazardous waste contact in your municipality may be helpful with guidance on how to do this.
  • Free Signs – Massachusetts Health Promotion Clearinghouse (Note: Signs for schools incorporate e-cigarette language and imagery.)
  • New! Information from the Truth initiative about what should educators do if they catch students vaping at school
  • New! Schools Supporting Students to Quit Tobacco Use as an Alternative to Suspension: Lessons from the Field (PDF). A two-page document with examples from two states and a list of additional resources for alternatives to suspension. (CDC and smokefree.gov resource)
  • Intervention for Nicotine Dependence: Education, Prevention, Tobacco and Health (INDEPTH) - an alternative to suspension or citation that helps schools and communities address the teen vaping problem in a supportive way. Punitive measures can punish young people who have unfairly been targeted by the tobacco and vaping industries, hooking them to their addictive products. Instead of punishing youth, INDEPTH is an interactive program that teaches students about nicotine dependence, establishing healthy alternatives and how to kick the unhealthy addiction that got them in trouble in the first place. Developed by the American Lung Association.
  • New! iDECIDE (Drug Education Curriculum: Intervention, Diversion, and Empowerment), - a drug education curriculum developed to provide behavioral support and psychoeducation for middle and high school students. The program is designed to serve as a secondary prevention effort for youth at risk for escalation to problematic substance use and as an alternative to suspension, expulsion, and other exclusionary practices for school-based substance use infractions. iDECIDE provides schools and communities the resources to empower students to engage in healthy decision making. iDECIDE is not a cessation program and is not meant to be used in lieu of treatment. Developed by the Center for Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Institute for Health Recovery (IHR).
  • New! Healthy Futures (an alternative to suspension program developed by the Stanford REACH Lab). The program is geared for students who have been caught using e-cigarettes (or any tobacco product) and/or for any students who are interested in trying to quit. This program has a self-paced lesson, a group 2- or 4-hour teacher or counselor-led curriculum, quitting resources, and more.

Educate staff

E-cigarettes and other vaping products are often not easily recognizable. Educating staff about these products and about your school’s policy to address them is an important part of the strategy to reduce student use.

sample of e-cigarettes that come in many shapes, sizes and types.

Educate parents

As a school administrator, educating parents with information about the problem of vaping and steps they can take to protect youth is critical.

  • Presentation about E-cigarettes for School Staff /Parents | DOC 
  • Sample Copy for use in Parent Communication/Newsletter- short articles about the parent/guardian education campaign, youth education campaign, and youth quit resources for use on websites or other communication channels
  • Educational video about vaping - a short educational video which can be embedded on your school’s website, or you can include a link to the video in communication about the topic of vaping. (Note: data in this video is slightly outdated, but most information is still relevant.)
  • Campaign videos – available on GetOutraged.org and YouTube educating parents about the dangers of vaping can be embedded on your website or you can include a link to the video in communication about the topic of vaping.  You can also make parents aware of the videos for their teens. The Facts. No Filters. campaign videos are posted on mass.gov/vaping.

Resources that you can make available to parents:

Know more about tobacco use in your district/school

Collecting data on types of tobacco products students are using and where they obtain tobacco products can help inform education efforts and decisions about school policies. Sample surveillance questions about tobacco use, as well as questions about how students obtain tobacco products, perceptions of harm, and marijuana use, are included in the document Sample Surveillance Questions about Tobacco Use.

Additional uses of these data include:

  • Capturing trends over time in use of conventional and emerging tobacco products and comparing local use rates with statewide use rates.
  • Tracking of marijuana in electronic vapor products, and concurrent use of tobacco and marijuana.
  • Increasing support for community-level tobacco control policies which have the potential to decrease youth tobacco exposure, access, and use. 

Consider establishing a chapter of The 84 Movement

The 84 is a statewide movement of youth fighting the influence of the tobacco and vaping industries in their communities. Youth groups in a middle school, high school, or community organization who want to fight against the tobacco industry’s tactics sign up to become an 84 Chapter and be a part of the movement. Chapters educate their peers and adults about the tobacco industry’s tactics; help to create change locally and statewide to reduce the influence of tobacco in their communities; promote social norms messaging around youth tobacco use; and more. Visit The84.org for more information and watch videos about The 84.

Share resources with staff for quitting tobacco

While your staff cannot use tobacco on school grounds, that doesn’t mean they are not current tobacco users. It is important to support staff who use tobacco products by providing them resources to address their own nicotine addiction.

Know more about resources in your community

The Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program funds eight regional Tobacco-Free Community Partnerships (TFCPs) to provide support, education, and connections to resources to address issues of tobacco use in your community. They work with local partners to fight the industry’s historic and unjust targeting of specific groups, including youth and Black, LGBTQ+, and Hispanic/Latinx communities. Contact your local Tobacco-Free Community Partnership for guidance and connections to technical assistance about tobacco use in your school or district. 

Help Us Improve Mass.gov  with your feedback

Please do not include personal or contact information.
Feedback