'It’s pretty messed up': Vaping and vandalism continue to impact high school students and staff across the region
It’s an issue affecting local high schools across both the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) and the London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB).
"It's pretty messed up, I’m not even going to lie…the washrooms are always closed because of people vaping, smoking weed, doing drugs etc.,” said frustrated eleventh grader Adam Moustafa.
And he’s not alone.
“It's awful, one it smells awful, you see these pods everywhere, one time the toilet, you couldn't flush it because there was so many pod things in there,” added another eleventh grader, Aiden Sutcliffe.
Vaping inside washrooms has become a common scene within high schools across the region.
Moustafa and Sutcliffe are among dozens of students who spoke with CTV News London outside Sir Fredrick Banting Secondary School Tuesday morning, complaining about the current state of the washrooms inside their high school.
It’s an issue that both school boards are well aware of and are working to address.
"We've increased supervision, we're looking at alternate measures such as installing vape detectors, etc. We continue to work with parents and students to try really encourage them to engage in positive behaviours around the school,” explained Dennis Wright, superintendent of safe schools and mental health with the TVDSB.
There have been several reported instances where school staff have been forced to close washrooms due to health and safety concerns. However, both boards said at no point have students been left with no washroom access.
"We do have one specific example where we had a facilities emergency and within 10 minutes we had trucks pull in with porta potties just so we could provide that,” he said.
Wright adds that school support councillors have been added in some schools to engage with students in hallways, cafeterias and parking lots to encourage good behaviour and respect school property.
But it’s not just the vaping, there’s also been increased vandalism to washroom facilities, including damaging doors, toilets, sinks and ripping out soap dispensers from the wall.
"It became really noticeable a few years ago. If you remember, when the TikTok challenge happening [and encouraging] the vandalism,” said Roberta Gibson, assistant superintendent of education with LDCSB.
That challenge, dubbed the “devious lick” gained popularity on social media — a trend which involved students posting videos that show them stealing or damaging items taken from their school, most often, from their washrooms.
"We still don't have a soap dispensers in the girls’ washroom downstairs,” said eleventh grader Hala Alzureigi, who adds the school had to remove the doors to some of the washrooms to be able to monitor the behaviour.
“I think it's an ongoing challenge that will continue to be, as students work through those parts of their lives. So I think that, you know, especially with the vaping being so prevalent, with continued monitoring and continued interventions and working with our students to understand the dangers of vaping can help...diminish it,” explained Gibson.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
PWHL Minnesota defeats Boston to win inaugural Walter Cup
Minnesota won the inaugural championship of the Professional Women’s Hockey League on Wednesday night, getting 17 saves from Nicole Hensley to beat Boston 3-0 in a winner-take-all Game 5 and claim the Walter Cup.
Canadians are eyeing moves to these cities for more affordable housing
Faced with elevated housing prices, half of Canadians in the country's largest cities are considering moving to places with more affordable housing.
B.C. mortgage broker ran $270-million Ponzi scheme, then fled Canada, bankruptcy trustee says
The trustee appointed to manage the bankruptcies of a Victoria mortgage company and its owner has concluded that they committed "numerous offences" and operated as a "massive Ponzi scheme."
Oilers rally to beat Stars, tie Western Conference Final
With the Edmonton Oilers down two goals late in the first period of Game 4, Rogers Place was quiet, fans seemingly bewildered at the early, quick scoring of the Dallas Stars and the slow start by the home team. Ryan McLeod's marker with six-and-a-half minutes in the opening frame left changed all that.
McDonald's says $18 Big Mac meal was an 'exception' and their prices haven't risen that much
McDonald’s is fighting back against viral tweets and media reports that it says have exaggerated its price increases.
'Targeted again': Montreal police investigate after gunshot fired at Jewish school
Police are investigating another building in Montreal's community was struck by gunfire.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
Poilievre says Canadians 'fleeing' to Nicaragua, Liberals say it shows he 'doesn't have a clue'
Liberal parliamentarians are criticizing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre over a new video in which he promotes the idea that some Canadians are 'fleeing' Canada to live in Nicaragua because they can't afford a house in this country.
'Do not drive': Nissan warns Canadian drivers of explosion risk impacting 48,000 vehicles
Car manufacturer Nissan has issued a do-not-drive warning for some older vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators, due to the risk of explosion during a crash.