by Janessa M.
Just recently my 7th hour PE class had been informed that our time in the women's locker room would be slightly shortened and monitored due to the strong stench of marajuana. Is vaping and smoking a problem at our school? Possibly. From my experience, there is at least one girl in every bathroom inhaling flavored air. It happens more frequently in the locker rooms because it is the one of the only places that isn't constantly supervised.
But, is the punishment fair? Is it an invasion of privacy?, if yes, do we really deserve the right to privacy? I have asked the opinions of many people on the issue, my most common response is that it is irritating that the people who haven't done anything are penalized. Senior Lehlani Q. expresses, “We already don't have a lot of time to get changed out, and now it's even shorter all because of a couple irresponsible kids”. Another repeated response was about how it's embarrassing to use the restrooms or change in the locker rooms because of the kid smoking. Student Alisa F. states, “When I go into the bathroom and see people smoking, it makes me uncomfortable, I feel like I'm the weird person because I actually need to use the restroom.”
Now, the word on the streets is that the vaping and smoking problem will be coming to a stop. According to an anonymous speaker the school will be installing detectors in bathrooms, hallways, and all around the school. Is it really just a rumor? Welp, I guess people will have to find out the hard way. Student Jane S. says, “I wish the issue would stop, we are supposed to be responsible teens, and using the locker rooms as a place to smoke seriously shows their lack of respect for our peers and the school.” Not only does the problem show how mature we really are but it is so bad health wise, according to www.heart.org “"If somebody else is vaping in the same area, you're breathing it – those particles are entering your lungs, where they can do damage."
At the end of the day all we are asking is for our fellow peers to please stop using our private places as meetups for smoking.