DENHAM SPRINGS - State officials are concerned by the number of teens they've seen with vapes. The Livingston Parish school district has taken this challenge head-on in its schools.

"We had a lot of issues. It was something we were encountering all over, not only at this school, but it was an issue we would recognize through other sites and talking amongst other school leaders; it was a big issue," Denham Springs Junior High Principal Justin Wax said.

Wax said his school placed the detectors around campus last school year and has already seen an improvement in numbers.

"In the first year they were installed, we reduced vaping incidents by half. By the second year, or the first full year they were installed, it was a 700 percent reduction by the end of that second year."

Wax said they strategically placed vape detectors around the campus. The system also has security features to detect gunshots, aggression, and even when someone is screaming for help. When triggered, the system sends a notification to staff via email.

Livingston Parish superintendent Jody Purvis wants kids to remember that vaping could be a gateway to other drugs.

"They think it's just a vape, but that leads to other things, it's a gateway to other things, it's a gateway to other drugs, it's also they look at it as something that makes me feel good today and not thinking of the long-term effects," he said.

According to a study by the Louisiana Attorney General's office, across the state, 15% of middle schoolers vaped in 2019, 10% did in 2021, and 18% did in 2023. The number is even higher for high school students, with 32% vaping in 2019, 24% in 2021, and back up to 30% in 2023.

The AG's office also uses NIL deals to have athletes come to schools to speak out on vaping.

"We know that most children in Louisiana are trying some form of nicotine product for the first time at 13 or 14, so that's why we are going into 6th-grade classrooms, because we do want to try and get to them before peer pressure happens before that moment happens."

The school district received a grant that would help mental health services for students, along with allowing them to install vape detectors at Albany High School and Albany Middle School, which are the last two schools in the district without the devices.