1. The first paragraph of a news article should answer the questions who, what, where and when. (In this article, 1st and 2nd paragraphs). List the who, what, where and when of this news item. (NOTE: The remainder of a news article provides details on the why and/or how.)

2. What is the purpose of the detectors?

3. How do the detectors work?

4. How do school officials say they can prevent students from tampering with the detectors?

5. How effective are the detectors, according to Sparta High School principal Ronnie Spring?

6. Some schools say they’re a useful deterrent. Others said not so much: Consider the following:

From the NJ article above: “Kevin Schroth, an associate professor in health behavior at Rutgers University…questioned the use of vaping detectors. He said that even if they are effective, students can recognize them and decide to vape in places that lack the detectors.

From a Wired report: “By the time we get there the kids are gone,” says Kimm Dever, an administrator at Hinsdale Central High School near Chicago. Dever says the devices also went off randomly, and administrators couldn’t tell which kids were vaping and which just happened to be in the bathroom when the devices alerted.

Also from Wired: Revere Schools in Bath, Ohio, reported similar problems. Administrators rarely made it to the bathroom in time to catch the vapers. In theory, school officials could consult footage from hallway cameras to triangulate which students were in the bathroom when the detectors went off. “That also takes up time, and we don’t always have that type of time” Reece says.

a) How could/should administrators solve these problems? Explain your answer.
b) How important is it for schools to prevent students from vaping in school (and ultimately to educate students about the dangers associated with vaping)?

7. Some students are concerned that it is an invasion of their privacy. Administrators point out there are not cameras or audio feed - the detectors just sense elements in the air.
Other students have said they don’t like using restrooms which are used as vaping rooms.
What do you think?