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Board hears spike in vape incidents and out‑of‑class placements after new state rules
Summary
Lubbock ISD officials told trustees vaping and technology violations rose this year; new state rules (House Bill 6) require removals, straining the district's Priority Intervention Academy (PIA) capacity and prompting alternative in‑school suspensions and additional support services.
Lubbock ISD presented a district‑wide behavior report that showed a substantial increase in discipline referrals this spring driven largely by technology violations and vaping incidents, and officials warned the change is disrupting instruction and stretching the Priority Intervention Academy (PIA).
Dr. Cammy Finger, assistant superintendent for school support and special services, told trustees the district recorded 919 vaping incidents this school year. She said state law changes under House Bill 6 require removal for certain substance offenses, which contributed to a total of 817 DAP (disciplinary alternative placement) removals this school year — a number Dr. Finger said represents about 3.6% of district enrollment for the year. Because PIA capacity is limited, the district used in‑school suspension as an alternative in many cases; Dr. Finger said there were about 652 placements to in‑school suspension related to vape use when PIA capacity was constrained.
"Had we placed every student for the first vape offense at PIA, we would have had 1,736 placements to PIA," Dr. Finger said, arguing that PIA could not safely or effectively absorb that load and that the removals disrupt students’ access to grade‑level instruction.
District staff described steps to mitigate instructional loss: a drug‑education curriculum (Know Your Neuro) paired with parental consent requirements for interventions, an orientation program at PIA that encourages parent involvement to reduce days served, additional teaching assistants in PIA sections, behavior specialists, social workers and expanded in‑school supports. Dr. Finger also said the district is looking at non‑traditional instructional options for students with repeated removals and added that administrators analyze campus discipline data each grading period to target supports.
Why it matters: Mandatory removal policies change how schools respond to substance incidents and can remove students from core instruction for weeks; the board's discussion highlighted the trade‑offs between following state law, ensuring due process and maintaining safe, instructional learning environments when specialized placements fill.
What’s next: District leaders said they would continue to expand prevention and intervention supports, refine in‑school suspension programming to include instruction rather than passive isolation, and identify alternatives for students who return repeatedly to PIA.
