School District of Lee County to hold tobacco & vaping prevention seminars

The School District of Lee County is inviting parents to three seminars in November and December about tobacco and vaping prevention. The rapid rise in teen e-cigarette use, called vaping, is now considered an epidemic by the Food and Drug Administration.

“According to the April 2018 Florida Youth Survey, the number of Lee County teens who reported using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days was more than ten times the rate of those who used traditional cigarettes,” says Prevention Specialist Mary Lynn Rodriguez. “So while Lee County student cigarette use is decreasing, vaping use is increasing each year.”

In fact, in April of 2018, 34.4 percent of Lee County middle and high school students reported they have tried vaping. A teen who vapes is four times more likely to begin smoking traditional cigarettes than a teen who does not. Together, we can help our students make better choices.

The topics for parents to be covered include:

• What makes tobacco and vaping so dangerous for teens
• Signs that may indicate your child is vaping
• The consequences of teen nicotine use

“We realize that vaping has changed from a cigarette alternative to a delivery device for nicotine,” Rodriguez says. “By adding flavors, the industry has made this an easy and popular way to get teens addicted to nicotine. We want to provide information to our parents so that we may work together to educate our students about the dangers of both smoking and vaping.”

There will be three presentations:

1. Thursday, November 15, from 6:00pm to 7:00pm at Caloosa Middle School in Cape Coral.
2. Monday, December 3, from 6:00pm to 7:00pm at Varsity Lakes Middle School in Lehigh Acres.
3. Tuesday, December 11, from 6:00pm to 7:00pm at Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School in Fort Myers.

Parents are invited to attend the seminar regardless of which zone they may live in or school their child attends.

For questions or more information, call (239) 335-1570 or (239) 337-8218