Attached (in the Related Documents section) is a letter with information we would like to share with parents/caregivers about Teen Vaping.  You may also read the contents of the letter here:

BCHS Parents/Caregivers:

As you have likely heard in media reports, teen vaping is an emerging problem in Canada.  At Barrhead Composite High School (BCHS), we have seen an increase in the number of teens using vapes.

At BCHS, we believe the best tool to help stop young people from vaping is education.  For that reason, we have had a guest speaker from Alberta Health Services – Addictions and Mental Health, present to all of our students over two days.  The speaker, Jack Adkins, is known for his presentations on nicotine products.  We have also shared facts about vaping with students during Extended Learning Time.

At BCHS, we also believe that good education should be paired with positive relationships to stop young people from vaping.  The most important relationship for a student is their relationship with their parent/caregiver.  That’s why we encourage you to speak with your child about vaping.

To help you speak with your child, we are providing a link to the fact sheet that we shared with students during Extended Learning Time (https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/healthy-living/talking-teens-vaping-tip-sheet.html), as well as a link to a sheet on talking with your teen about vaping (https://www.canada.ca/en/services/health/publications/healthy-living/talking-teen-vaping-tip-sheet-parents.html).  Parents on our School Council are also looking into getting someone to come to the school on an evening early in 2020, to speak about how parents/caregivers can talk with their children about vaping.

We look forward to continuing to work with you to educate your child in a safe, caring, welcoming, respectful and healthy environment.

Sincerely,

The Staff at Barrhead Composite High School