The Madison Public Schools Administration is embracing a new deterrent tool to try to curb the use of e-cigarettes among high school students. The deterrent is Madison Police K9 Decker, a drug sniffing yellow Labrador retriever who will soon become a familiar face at Daniel Hand High School (DHHS).

E-cigarettes were originally marketed as smoking cessation devices for individuals who smoke traditional cigarettes. The devices, which come in various shapes and sizes, work by heating up and vaporizing a liquid, which a smoker then inhales.

While some e-cigarettes may have originally been marketed to adults, devices like the JUUL come with flavors like bubblegum and mango, making them more attractive to younger people. About a year ago, DHHS Principal Anthony Salutari said he saw the use of devices like the JUUL among high school and possibly middle school students explode.

The liquid in the e-cigarette is not water but frequently contains propylene glycol, a primary component of antifreeze. The device works by heating up the liquid to produce an aerosol.

In addition to the potential health dangers caused by the traditional vaping liquid, an e-cigarette can also be used to vape THC, the active component of marijuana and, just as a nicotine-delivering e-cigarette doesn’t smell like a cigarette, using an e-cigarette to deliver THC won’t smell like marijuana.

Madison school officials recently adopted a new testing device that helps quickly determine what is in an e-cigarette. The kit uses a cotton swab soaked in a proprietary solution that, when dabbed in the e-cigarette gel or liquid, will show if the item is or is not marijuana.

At a Board of Education (BOE) on Jan. 8, Superintendent of Schools Tom Scarice reviewed a few additional deterrent practices the school has adopted. One involves placing staff across the hall outside bathrooms to try to limit large groups of student vaping together in the restrooms.

“One idea is more adult presence really and I hate to belittle it and call it the ‘scarecrow effect,’ but really having an adult there really does change behavior,” he said.

The second practice is introducing drug-sniffing Madison Police K9 Decker to the school community. Decker has the ability to detect THC and he along with his handler Madison Police Detective Neal Mulhern are going to start attending a few classes at DHHS.

“Introducing Decker into the health classes is really where we want to start just to show his ability, which is really quite remarkable,” Scarice said. With a “one-word command...just give him two seconds and he can find anything in his range.”

The district also sent out an e-notify message to parents, informing the community that Decker would start attending DHHS on occasion.

“…Detective Mulhern will conduct a mini-lesson specific to the canine’s training that will include a live demonstration,” the e-notify stated. “This information will be communicated in advance to all students in the specific classroom. After this presentation, we anticipate having Detective Mulhern and Decker visit Daniel Hand on a regular basis. This will lead up to a time when numerous drug sniffing canines visit Daniel Hand with the intent of identifying any illegal drugs on our campus. We hope that this partnership with the Madison Police Department will further deter students from abusing illegal drugs. As always, we encourage you to speak with your children about this important topic. Please do not hesitate to contact a high school administrator if you have any questions.”

Scarice also communicated to BOE members that while Decker will be at school to act as a deterrent, the board’s attorney has said that because it is a school building, should Decker detect drugs, that is “reasonable basis for conducting a search.”