MONDOVI (WQOW) – Tobacco is changing, but one local school district's approach to combating teen smoking is ahead of those changes, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Mondovi Junior and Senior High School bathrooms are equipped with sensors from the video security company Verkada, and starting in 2021, they are being used to combat e-cigarette use among teenagers. These sensors monitor temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide levels. Combined with cameras, the system provides video evidence.
Verkada sample camera and sensor devices.
Verkada Inc.
If the sensors detect a change in normal levels, a notification is sent to Mondovi Middle and High School Principal Darin Gray.
“I personally don't think it's like, 'Hey, I'm going to get you, I'm going to give you trouble, I'm going to call the police,' but it does happen sometimes,” Gray said. “The goal is the physical well-being of the student and asking, 'Why are you doing this, what can we do to help you stop, how can we help you stop?'”
Typically, Gray doesn't rush to the bathroom when she receives an alert. Instead, she makes a note of the alert, checks the cameras, and if she finds a pattern, she talks one-on-one with the student and gets the parents involved.
Gray said this approach has been particularly effective in understanding students’ current situations and identifying the root causes of their e-cigarette use.
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