Bathroom access restricted, electronic hall pass implemented at South Milwaukee High School in attempt to crack down on vaping

Alec Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·3 min read

Concerns about vaping at South Milwaukee High School has led the school to implement several strategies to cut down on its use, including restricting bathroom access and using an electronic hall pass system.

In an April 11 letter to parents, South Milwaukee High School principal Bryan Terry said some students "are hurting themselves and creating an unsafe environment for their peers" through vaping and e-cigarette use at the school.

"We know we’re not alone in our concern about this dangerous habit. Parents, staff, and students have expressed their concerns about vaping in our school," Terry said.

Since vape products contain nicotine, it's illegal for minors in Wisconsin to vape or even possess e-cigarettes.

To eliminate and reduce vaping incidents, Terry said the school is "actively engaging in prevention strategies and consequences," including:

  • installing posters sharing the effects of vaping in or at the entry of student bathrooms and locker rooms to educate students on vaping's harmful effects

  • offering classes through the school's student services department to students who want help to quit vaping, which are mandated "in most cases when a student is caught with a vape/tobacco product in their possession"

  • easing overcrowding in the restrooms and increased supervision and limiting smaller restrooms to six students at a time

  • restricting access to restrooms where vaping activity was reported

  • assigning additional support and staff members "to supervise and monitor the restrooms during transition times between classes"

  • using the school's camera system to identify any students who frequent specific restrooms during a reported incident

Once a student suspected of vaping is located, the student's personal property can be searched, Terry's letter said.

Violations of the school's tobacco/vaping policy include a range of consequences such as parent notifications and conferences, in-school suspensions, out-of-school suspensions of three to five days, police citations, intervention meetings, pre-expulsion hearings and expulsions.

The South Milwaukee Police Department is assisting the school with random searches with a K-9 unit in the building and parking lots. Items found "will be treated with the significant school and legal consequences listed above," the letter said.

Electronic hall pass policy

A letter sent out two weeks later, April 25, from Terry focused specifically on hall passes.

In that letter, Terry said the school had reintroduced the system used in the 2021-22 school year to monitor the time students are out of class and the use of hall passes.

"While we appreciate the open design of our high school, it does create issues with supervision of our students during the school day. Our families, students and staff have all expressed concerns this year about the amount of time our students are in the hallways and in the bathrooms, which also leads to some unsafe choices with vandalism, vaping, and skipping classes," Terry wrote. "We have reinstated the electronic hall pass system to manage all of these challenges."

When a student requests to leave class for any reason, the teacher documents that request on a Google form with the student's first and last name, location and a leave and return time. All staff can see the student's information so they know how often a student is leaving class and for what reason.

Sometimes a teacher will allow a student to leave class but will call the office to ensure the student gets to and from class safely. Other times, staff members might ask students to wait because they can see how many other students are out of class at that time or if the student is not supposed to be in the hallway with another student.

Terry said the school started using the system April 25.

Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at@AlecJohnson12.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Vaping crackdown at South Milwaukee High School