Central Florida school districts are taking different approaches to student vaping, WFTV reported Sunday. In its roundup, the station said Seminole County "requires students to complete a vaping prevention course." The district's own conduct code describes a more limited option.
What the code says
Seminole County Public Schools' Student Conduct and Discipline Code for 2026-27, which the School Board approved July 28, classifies possessing, buying, selling, distributing or using tobacco or nicotine products on campus, at school events or on school transportation as a Tobacco offense. That applies to anyone under 21. The code places Tobacco at Level IV, the least serious tier on the state's incident reporting scale.
Under a State Board of Education rule, incidents involving e-cigarettes, vapes, vape pens or other electronic nicotine delivery systems must be reported as vaping-related if the device's liquid has nicotine or a controlled substance in it, the code says. Schools do not have to test the devices. If a vape is used to consume an illegal drug, the incident is handled as a drug offense.
For a Tobacco offense, the code allows a principal or designee to offer the student "a voluntary tobacco education course in lieu of suspension." Elsewhere in the code, students suspended from extracurricular events for a first tobacco violation can cut that suspension by up to half if they show the principal they completed an approved tobacco cessation or education class.
The code also notes that under state law, people under 21 can face fines, community service and loss of driving privileges for having tobacco products. It says county and city officials designated as enforcement officers can issue civil citations, which are filed in Seminole County circuit court.
