Vaping policy is implemented for school system

A new vaping education policy aimed at addressing rising vaping incidents among students was approved during the Dec. 12 meeting of White County Board of Education

“Vaping is probably one of the biggest discipline problems we have at White County High School,” White County Director of Schools Kurt Dronebarger said, emphasizing the necessity of the policy. “It continues to be an issue. Students are bringing these products into our schools. We deal with them quite a bit.”

Health Supervisor Marcie Kinnard outlined a punishment-tier system that will include vaping education classes, monetary fines, community service, and alternative school placements for repeat offenders. The tier system is designed to help those who may have made a one-time mistake, while increasing punishment for those who continue to disregard the policy. Kinnard said she feels education will be a key component to the new policy.

“My goal is a 25 percent reduction in vaping citations,” Kinnard stated, indicating plans to gather data from various school levels to assess the effectiveness of the policy. “What I will do at the end of the year, I will get the data from the middle school and the high school, and, of course, we’ll ask the elementary schools as well because sometimes we do see students in elementary vape.”

Chairman Bob Young expressed his support for the tiered approach, stating, “I appreciate the fact there are tiered offenses. Anybody can make a mistake one time. Multiple times it starts to become a pattern.”

Kinnard reiterated the importance of having a structured plan in place to tackle the vaping issue, likening the absence of such a plan to “having a plan to fail.”

Also on Dec. 12, the board began preparations for the 2025 fiscal year budget cycle, reviewing financial reports for the current year. 

“Overall, we are ahead of last as far as deficiency of revenues over expenditures by about $150,000,” White County Finance Director Chad Marcum said, “meaning if we keep on this track we should be in good shape as far as things stand now.”

While Chairman Young expressed satisfaction with the current financial status, Marcum cautioned that, while the expenditures for 2025 are on track, the board must remain vigilant, as revenues and expenditures do not always align.

In additional business, the board approved modifications to the background check policy, allowing for changes in language that would relieve the board from bearing the costs of every applicant’s background check. The board also allocated $15,000 from the special education fund to cover special education transportation costs and approved a change to employee pay, moving toward direct deposit instead of physical checks.

One final piece of business was the approval for White County High School Warrior Marching Band to initiate fundraising efforts for their trip to perform during the halftime show at the 2025 Pop Tart Bowl, in Orlando, Florida. Band Director Roger Mills noted the trip would require approximately $1,300 per student.

The next meeting of White County Board of Education is scheduled for Jan. 9. All meetings are open to the public, however, if citizens would like to have a chance to have their voice heard at a school board meeting, they should contact their school board representative or visit the Board of Education prior to the meeting date.