A Mecklenburg County parent demands action after discovering his daughter obtained a vape at school.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Mecklenburg County parent is demanding action after his 12-year-old daughter brought home a vaping device she allegedly obtained at school.
The father, who requested anonymity, said he was “shocked” to discover his daughter with the vape.
“We send the child to school to come back with homework and books and something to help them for the future,” he said. “When they come back with the vape — it’s a red flag.”
The parent immediately confiscated the device and contacted officials at Whitewater Academy, where his daughter is enrolled. In a statement, the school said it “immediately initiated an investigation” after being notified of the alleged vape purchase on campus.
“The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our top priority, and we take all reports seriously to ensure a safe and supportive learning environment,” the school said.
Anti-tobacco advocates say such incidents reflect a broader crisis of youth vaping across North Carolina.
“We know that most young people start using tobacco and nicotine products when they’re in their early teens,” said Peg O’Connell, chair of the Tobacco 21 Advisory Committee for the North Carolina Alliance for Health.
O’Connell warned that nicotine exposure during adolescence, when brains are still developing, can have lasting consequences.
“When you have that much nicotine in a young brain, the brain needs to be constantly stimulated. The amount of nicotine that young people are getting in these vape devices is 2,000 times more than a cigarette,” she said.
Health advocates are pushing for stricter regulations to limit youth access to vaping products. Two bills currently before the North Carolina legislature would raise the minimum purchase age for vaping devices from 18 to 21.
A legislative conference on the proposed measures is scheduled for June at the General Assembly building in Raleigh.
The incident comes amid growing national concern about youth vaping rates, with health officials and educators working to address what many consider a public health crisis affecting middle and high school students across the country.
Contact Anna King at [email protected] and follow her on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
