NEW vape detectors being installed in schools will cost the district thousands.

School officials hope these new detectors will deter students from smoking in school. 

Cypress and Loara high schools in Anaheim, California, are dishing out $75,120 to try and stop teenage smoking. 

The hefty fee includes purchasing the equipment, software, installation, and taxes.

The school board members unanimously approved the purchase of the detectors during a board meeting on March 6, local CW affiliate KTLA reported.

The vape detectors will be installed in restrooms and locker rooms on both campuses. 

After paying the initial fees, the detectors will cost the schools an annual fee of $4,023.

The school decided to partner with the company HALO for the sensors due to its unique ability to detect more than tobacco smoke.

According to Anaheim Union High School District spokesperson John Bautista, the detectors can “differentiate between vaping, vaping with THC, and intentionally masking vaping behavior by using aerosols.”

The sensors will last around seven years.

“[The sensors are] not just something to reduce vaping in terms of catching, but ideally, it’s more proactive in preventing folks from doing it,” said assistant superintendent Jaron Fried, the Voice of OC reported.

Fried said the sensors will be linked to an app alerting campus security and administrators if vaping is detected.

The installation of the sensors comes right around the same time as teenage vaping levels drop nationwide.

“In 2024, 2.25 million middle and high school students reported current use (use on one or more days during the past 30 days) of any tobacco product, compared to 2.80 million in 2023,” the Food and Drug Administration reported. 

“This decline was largely attributable to the significant drop in the number of students who reported current e-cigarette use (2.13 million youth in 2023 compared to 1.63 million youth in 2024).”

The report also found that cigarette use has reached the lowest recorded level. 

Executive director of educational services Robert Saldivar said the sensors also detec loud sounds, which can alert staff if a fight breaks out.

The sensors don’t have cameras, so privacy will not be violated, but they will work in conjunction with the school’s security cameras placed outside locker rooms and restrooms.

The security systems working in unison will make it easier to find the culprits.

“We used to have the [drug detection] dogs come once a month, but this is every day,” said Fried.

In addition to installing sensors, the school will continue its “Red Ribbon Week,” which aims to deter students from using drugs and tobacco.

The sensors in the two high schools will serve as test pilots for the Anaheim school district, with the possibility of adding more to other schools.