A new anti-vape committee will host a panel on Feb. 25 at Palo Alto High School to encourage peer-to-peer discussion about the e-cigarette epidemic.
Paly Associated Student Body representatives shared their plans for the panel at the Jan. 23 Palo Alto Teen Vaping Community Leaders Breakfast at Palo Alto Medical Foundation. Although specific details of the panel are still in the works, the attendance of Stanford University Professor of Pediatrics Bonnie Halpern-Felsher is confirmed. The panel will take place during Tutorial in the Paly Performing Arts Center, and will likely be mandatory for freshmen.
“I would love to have people come in and say ‘Hey, I don’t know if a vape ban is the best option’ and we can ask why.”
— Ben Gordon, senior
Story continues below advertisement
“We are hoping to target the youngest of students on campus to ensure they know that vaping has never, is not and will not be tolerated on our campus,” Ben Gordon, ASB Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education representative, said.
In response to parent reactions to the vaping epidemic, ASB debuted an anti-vape committee at the beginning of the semester. The committee, comprised of various ASB members, will focus on connecting directly with students to address the issue. According to Gordon, a committee member, the most powerful tool against vaping is communication between students on the matter. Gordon hopes to include a variety of students with different opinions on the issue.
“I would love to have people come in and say ‘Hey, I don’t know if a vape ban is the best option’ and we can ask why,” Gordon said at the Jan. 23 conference.
Related Stories
E-cigarette epidemic sparks concern: Board, PTSA struggle with vaping as deaths mount
Administration must find better solution to the vaping problem
ASB School Board representative should be an elected position