Barren County Schools continue to enforce no vape zone

BARREN COUNTY, Ky. – Barren County Middle School is still trying to mitigate use of vape products among the student population after their policy shift last year.

It’s a health concern among administration and parents, one that can cause permanent damage if left unchecked, so Thursday evening was the school systems first chance to engage with students on the dangers of vaping.

Amanda Lile, a mother who attended the school’s session on vaping said she’s glad they decided to get more serious last year. While some parents might have been upset, Lile said she was not unhappy about the change.

Lile told News 40 not only is it a health risk, it teaches kids that the rules are rules for a reason. The mother told the station that she hasn’t a problem personally with her child vaping but her daughter’s friends got caught and since then, Lile has made it clear to her daughter and friends that it won’t be something tolerated in her household.

News 40 also spoke to Shelly Thomas, BCS’s Youth Services Director about the issue and she said it has since calmed down. Thomas told News 40 that there are no benefits to nicotine use and the risks can be pretty scary.

Thomas said she attends several trainings on vaping which include the health concerns and ways children might try to conceal their vape devices.

She told us that she’s committed to making sure that any barriers to education are removed and that her and her staff are serving Barren County children as best as they can.