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Youth speakers urge Hopkins board to favor ‘support over suspension’ for vaping incidents
Summary
Two young residents who serve on a youth advisory board urged Hopkins Public School District to change its approach to student vaping, arguing detectors and suspensions alienate students and fail to address nicotine addiction and underlying needs.
Two youth advisory board members told the Hopkins School Board on Feb. 11 they want district policy to prioritize support, treatment and education rather than suspensions for students caught using vapes.
Alicia Collare, introduced by the chair as a member of the youth advisory board connected to a downtown Hopkins clinic, said schools are “increasingly” taking a punitive approach to vaping that “alienates students” and fails to address addiction and related mental‑health issues. She asked the board to “prioritize support over suspension,” saying suspensions can deepen students’ isolation and academic setbacks.
Jada Silver, a junior at Minnetonka High School who also serves on the youth advisory board, told the board she has heard students describe vape detectors as anxiety‑provoking and unreliable. She said detectors can go off when no one is vaping and that suspensions do not “help address the root of the issue” or connect students to nicotine‑cessation resources.
Why it matters: Both speakers framed vaping as a health and behavioral‑support issue rather than primarily a discipline problem. They asked the board to consider alternatives such as education, counseling and connections to community resources for students dealing with nicotine use.
No formal action: The public‑comment period is for input only; board members did not take formal action during the meeting on suspension or device policy.
Ending: Both youth asked the board to consider the developmental and mental‑health impacts of suspension and to pursue policies that emphasize intervention and support for students who use commercial tobacco products and vapes.
