Dear Maple Hill Families,
We want to ask parents to help with a concern we are facing in our building and that many other schools are facing as well. We are hearing that students are vaping in the bathroom and selling vapes in the school and the community. We have been in communication with the Schodack Police Department about this local community issue. When we are alerted to potential vaping in school, we do conduct searches of students’ possessions and if a student is discovered with any type of smoking device, they are issued appropriate consequences. If a student is found to be selling products, the consequences will be more substantial.
There is a school policy that our Jr. High School students use the upstairs bathroom and our Sr. High School students use the downstairs bathroom. If students are found to be using the wrong space, there will be consequences moving forward. We are actively reviewing an online pass system that will keep track of students when they sign out of classes. We are also looking to install more security cameras outside the bathrooms to better monitor those areas.
To minimize this type of student behavior in school, we ask for your assistance when students are home. We do all we can during the school day to monitor building areas where this behavior regularly occurs, and all our students are regularly informed by us about the consequences of vaping. Students who engage in these behaviors at school are held accountable for their actions and face disciplinary consequences accordingly.
However, our authority as educators ends when they leave for the day. We appreciate any additional efforts you can make at home to curb this behavior before it occurs at school. Please help your students remember that smoking or possession of any smoking products on school grounds is a strict violation of Schodack’s Student Code of Conduct. It is also against New York State law for anyone to smoke on school property.
Know that the majority of our students are respectful of their school and behave appropriately. These incidents have been generally isolated to a small percentage of the students, but they have become enough of a recurring issue that we feel compelled to inform you of them.
Please reach out to us if you have any questions. We are thankful for your ongoing partnership with us and look forward to the rest of the 2021-2022 school year.
Sincerely,
Jacqueline Hill, Maple Hill Principal
Hillary Brochu, Maple Hill Assistant Principal
