Board approves ASAP-backed vaping procedure emphasizing restorative interventions for students

Clinton City Schools approved on a voice vote a new vaping response procedure developed in partnership with ASAP of Anderson, Anderson County Schools and Oak Ridge City Schools. The procedure emphasizes restorative approaches for first offenses, in-school accountability through the district’s Personal Accountability Class (PAC), and access to ASAP’s prevention services including a five‑session “Coping Conversations” program.

Why it matters: The procedure creates a countywide, uniform response to student vaping incidents and pairs discipline with prevention and treatment pathways. District leaders said vaping has not been a major issue in Clinton City elementary schools but cited isolated incidents in fifth and sixth grade and said they want consistent, evidence-based responses should the problem increase.

What was presented and approved: Savannah Mead, prevention coordinator at ASAP of Anderson, described the policy framework and interventions. She said the approach prioritizes restorative practices over out-of-school suspension for first offenses, supports in‑school accountability options such as in‑school suspension or the district’s PAC model, and offers ASAP’s Coping Conversations — five free coaching sessions designed to build alternative coping strategies and to assess addiction severity when needed. Mead said the program uses an ASI (addiction severity index) intake and that Rigview is available as a referral partner for cases requiring clinical treatment.

District implementation details: The board indicated Clinton City will use its PAC (Personal Accountability Class) rather than the standard ISS label; staff member Laura Roberts (coordinator, coordinated school health program) said PAC will include activities that address decision‑making while keeping students current in their schoolwork. Board members were told Oak Ridge City Schools and Anderson County Schools are already moving toward the same procedure.

Direct quote: “The biggest thing with this policy and procedure outline is we're focusing on restorative justice,” Savannah Mead said during her presentation.

Clarifying details from the meeting: - First‑offense response favors restorative practice and in-school accountability to avoid simply sending students home, the presenters said. - ASAP’s Coping Conversations consists of five free sessions with individualized plans and follows evidence‑based prevention curricula; an ASI intake is used to guide referrals. - If higher‑level clinical support is needed, students can be referred to Rigview through ASAP’s partner pathway.

Outcome: The board approved the procedure by voice vote. No roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript for this item.

Next steps and implementation: Student Services will work with ASAP to implement the procedure across Clinton City schools and coordinate training for staff; the board directed staff to proceed with the partnership and to use the district’s PAC model for in‑school accountability.

Meeting context: The vaping procedure was presented during new business and followed district updates on testing, staffing recognitions and other routine agenda items.