Dover High School addressing student bathrooms after uptick in marijuana vaping
DOVER — School leaders said they are addressing problems in Dover High School’s student bathrooms following physical assaults and numerous marijuana vaping incidents.
There have been 15 instances of students caught vaping in school bathrooms this fall, all but one involving marijuana, according to DHS Principal Peter Driscoll. There have been two physical altercations in the school this year, one of which was in the bathroom, and students have been found in the bathrooms cutting class.
Substance abuse, student mental health and social media pressures are all factors, Driscoll told School Board members last week.
“Our bathrooms are a microcosm of high school society and a microcosm of our society,” Driscoll said. “If we could wave a magic wand and take care of them, we would. If we could put more people in front of them, we would.”
The Dover School District (SAU 11) has sounded the alarm about student behavior in the school’s restrooms in the past. In October 2021, Superintendent William Harbron warned parents about a series of TikTok trends calling on students to damage school property and act inappropriately toward school staff and their peers. At that time, Harbron said cars at the high school had been keyed and the school’s restrooms had been vandalized due to posts on the video social media platform.
Last week, Driscoll reminded the School Board of the “devious lick” trend that encouraged students nationwide to steal something from the school or vandalize it.
“We had a little spell where literally people who did not know each other would have a confrontation in the bathroom so that it could be filmed and posted on social media,” Driscoll said. “That was a challenge. That’s not the environment that we want.
“There’s really this link between mental health and substance abuse,” he added. We’re seeing a lot of that. Social media plays a role in this.”
Trends and possible solutions at Dover High School
Through the first quarter of the school year, student attendance is up at Dover High School, while vandalism and physical altercations within the restrooms were down, in comparison to the first quarter of the 2022-23 academic year.
Documented vaping incidents have increased, however, according to Driscoll. The principal said vape cartridges and pens oftentimes smell fruity and are marketed toward students.
“The connection to mental health is huge. A lot of students are using this, unfortunately, as a matter of self-medicating,” he said. “Vaping is different than smoking. When you think about marijuana in the bathroom when we were in high school, it was a cloud of smoke. Now it’s just a quick steam and it’s gone.”
Dover High School teachers and administrators monitor bathrooms throughout the day, and the school has temporarily closed bathrooms in the past following misconduct.
The board discussed potential avenues to relieve school staff from bathroom monitoring duties, including the idea of having parent volunteers stationed at the restrooms. But Driscoll feels the more realistic approach would be to free up teachers’ schedules to allow them to check the bathrooms throughout the day and monitor them during peak traffic times.
If the district opted for volunteers, Driscoll said, they would need to be trained in crisis prevention and deescalation.
“We’re always open to suggestions. If there’s a way to work out how we’re going to get people to stand in front of our bathrooms that come from our community, we’d love to have that,” he added.
Discussion with the board included the possibility of reconfiguring student bathrooms to remove doors and mirrors in the restrooms to address security while balancing student privacy. Renovations would need to be outlined in the school’s requests during the city School Board budget cycle.
Harbron held a meeting with Driscoll, assistant superintendent Christine Boston and district business administrator Michael Limanni in late October regarding concerns about the school’s bathrooms.
Oyster River reports problems in bathrooms, too
Conversations surrounding concerns with Dover High School’s student restrooms came days after Oyster River School District Superintendent James Morse reported numerous incidents had occurred in Oyster River High School bathrooms this fall involving hate speech.
Morse’s Nov. 8 message to the school district community noted three graffiti incidents occurred in the school’s boys restroom. Two swastikas were found as well as the words “Heil Hitler." In addition to the antisemitic graffiti, two instances of slurs were reported to school administration, language specifically targeting the Black and LGBTQ+ communities.
“Oyster River does not support hate speech and these acts do not align with our values. On our journey toward fostering a more inclusive and harmonious world, it is imperative for students to recognize the detrimental impact of hate speech and the vital role they play in promoting a culture of acceptance and respect,” Morse wrote. “By embracing diversity, upholding the values of empathy and understanding, they can contribute to the creation of a more just and inclusive global community where every individual is valued and respected, regardless of their background or identity.”
More: Oyster River taking action on hate speech
Last week, the high school’s administration met with each class to discuss the impacts of hate speech. Morse stated that a parent forum will be held in the school’s auditorium Monday, Nov. 27 at 6:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Marijuana vaping in Dover High School bathrooms a rising problem
