Trustees raise concerns as tribunal reports show increases in drug and vaping incidents

Board members spent an extended portion of the meeting on the tribunal report after staff noted an increase in disciplinary referrals linked to substance use and vaping.

Trustees asked what district prevention strategies are in place and whether penalties and educational efforts are adequate. One trustee said she hears of successful statewide efforts that combined education and outreach and asked whether Liberty County could adopt similar measures. Another trustee suggested bringing youth speakers who had experienced juvenile justice consequences to assemblies as a prevention measure.

District staff said the schools’ responsibilities include analyzing the data, increasing communication with students and parents about harms of drugs and vaping, and providing counseling for affected students. Staff emphasized the need for community partnerships and repeated education to address the trend, and said they would continue to review the data and propose interventions.

There was no formal policy vote at the meeting; trustees directed staff to consider broader community education, review penalties in the code of conduct and report back with preventative measures.