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The outside of the Cullman County Courthouse in Cullman, Ala. Judges have created a special court for students caught vaping at school.Judge Chad Floyd didn’t waste any time Tuesday morning as he addressed defendants and family members gathered in a small third-floor courtroom atop the Cullman County Courthouse.All seven defendants had already missed first period middle and high school classes in Cullman County. All seven had been caught with vape devices on campus.
The program, which started in 2021, seems to be curbing the vaping problem in Cullman schools, Bell said. But students in Cullman County are not required to pay fines or return to court if they complete the program requirements in two months. They can can face hefty court costs that range from $350 to $500 if they don’t complete the requirements on time, according to the student handbook.
Floyd said the program works because it sends a message that underage vaping is a serious offense with real health consequences. Most vape cartridges sold commercially contain nicotine, but some are filled with THC. Some school officials have raised concerns about fentanyl in vape devices, but it’s unclear whether any cases of opioid contamination have been documented in Alabama.
Judge Rusty Turner started the vape court in Cullman County in his juvenile court before it moved to the misdemeanor docket. He said vaping poses special problems for schools. Unlike smoking, it can be hard to detect. Right now, court officials place those cases on the regular misdemeanor docket, then take all the vape cases up to a different courtroom to give the young defendants more privacy. Turner, the judge in Cullman, supports efforts to revive Drummond’s bill next year and to put vape court back under the jurisdiction of juvenile court. He said that moving the cases to juvenile court would unlock more services for young people who might need them.
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