More than 700 nicotine and THC vapes were confiscated or surrendered in Sumter schools as students increasingly seek help.
SUMTER, S.C. — As teen vaping continues across South Carolina, Sumter School District leaders say a new prevention and intervention effort is helping students seek support while removing vaping products from campuses.
District officials said more than 700 nicotine and THC vapes have been confiscated or voluntarily surrendered by students across middle and high schools in Sumter County since the start of the school year.
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The effort is part of the district’s FLEX Nation prevention and intervention program, created in partnership with Sumter Behavioral Health Services. The program launched two years ago and focuses on helping students dealing with substance use and behavioral health challenges.
“At all of our middle and high schools, we have vape canisters. So students now are freely dropping those vapes into canisters and actually asking for help. They’re asking and wanting to be involved with the Flex Nation program, which is awesome,” said Nikisha Keith, coordinator of behavioral health services for Sumter School District.
School officials and prevention specialists said vaping products are becoming easier for teens to access online, through peers and sometimes through family members.
“A kid we had ordered 10 THC vapes online to his house or his friend’s house, right? And brought them into school to sell them. And all he said was he clicked that he was of age, put a card number in, and then the vapes were delivered,” said Nicholas Funaro, a prevention specialist.
Health leaders warn that many students underestimate the long-term physical and mental health effects associated with vaping and nicotine use.
“Folks that are constantly using vapes and using cigarettes and other tobacco products, how much that can still change their emotions, their mood, increase anxiety, even though they may feel that they’re more calm and at peace when they’re able to use the product,” said Sarah Campbell, executive director of Sumter Behavioral Health Services. “It’s causing more concentration issues. They’re more distracted.”
District leaders said education and community involvement will be critical in reducing vaping among students.
“We don’t know what’s in these vapes or what the long-term consequences are of using these vapes over a period of time. We know they’re going to cause lung problems in the future, but getting the people, everybody to know that this is a problem we need to fix,” said Trevor Brown, director of prevention and alcohol enforcement.
Campbell said long-term success will require support from parents, teachers, administrators and the community.
“We’re going to have to look at what goal are we looking for in our school district and, you know, can we get parent buy-in, and just making sure that all of our schools are on board and understand why this is important,” Campbell said.
District leaders said students and parents seeking more information about the FLEX Nation program can contact Nikisha Keith at nekeisha.keith@sumterschools.net through the Sumter School District Behavioral Health Services Department.