MONROE COUNTY, Tenn. — East Tennessee schools are taking a hands-on approach after the outbreak of vaping-related illnesses hit close to home, starting with holding classes to educate parents about the dangers of kids using e-cigarettes.
Last month, a student at Sequoyah High School was flown to the hospital after school officials said they suffered a medical emergency reportedly due to vaping.
Dozens of people attended a class at Sequoyah High School Thursday night to learn about the dangers. School officials said they never thought their community would be impacted and want to make sure it never happens again.
"Right now we have a captive audience. It's important to capitalize when people are listening," said Monroe County Health Council executive director Heather Rhymes.
As of Oct. 3, there were 39 reported cases of vaping-associated respiratory illness in the state, according to the Tennessee Department of Health. One of those cases happened at Sequoyah High School.
"I think we believed something like that would never happen here, so it has absolutely jarred our community," said Rhymes.
After realizing the the outbreak could hit close to home, Monroe County Schools along with other organizations began a safety initiative.
"It has brought to our reality that this is possible," said Rhymes. "We are reacting to a situation that occurred, but we're reacting in a proactive way."
The first step of the initiative is to educate parents and teachers.
"I feel like parents are unaware and surprised about how dangerous it is and can affect your overall health," said Monroe County Schools school health supervisor Jackie Gray.
"Honestly it's pretty disheartening they're doing this," said Sequoyah High School SRO Nick Farrell.
He said responding to the vaping incident was one of the most draining days he's had in his career. He hopes this initiative will make kids pause and think twice about their decisions.
"The children who witnessed the event along with the staff were absolutely terrified," said Rhymes.
"I know myself as a parent there are things officer Farrell was going through that I did not know. Even as a nurse as 25 years," said Gray.
In Tennessee, the age to buy tobacco or vape products is 18. Students face a six week tobacco class if they're caught with the products at Sequoyah High School on the first offense.
This is just the beginning of the initiative in Monroe County. The school system said they will soon start educating younger students, not just high schoolers, of the dangers.