Health Alerts & Safety

Beginning September 1, 2025, Texas Senate Bill 2024 makes it a Class A misdemeanor to market or sell e-cigarette (vape) products that contain cannabinoids (including delta-8 and delta-9). East Central ISD is coordinating with local law enforcement and legal advisors to ensure compliance and to educate families about what the law covers.

House Bill 114

Effective September 1, 2023, HB 114 established statewide mandates aimed at reducing vaping among Texas students:

• Mandatory Disciplinary Action:
  Students found with e-cigarettes or vapes on campus or at school events must be placed in a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP)—a change from the previous discretionary policy.

• Uniform Penalties:
  Vaping violations are now treated with the same level of seriousness as alcohol or drug-related offenses to ensure consistent enforcement across Texas schools.

• Substance Abuse Education:
  Districts may also incorporate educational or counseling support as part of the disciplinary process to help students understand the health and legal risks associated with vaping.

Parent & Student Resources

East Central ISD encourages families to talk openly with their students about the dangers of vaping and the new state laws that increase consequences for THC-related products. Support and prevention resources are available through campus counselors, Health Services, and Project AWARE initiatives.

For more information, contact the Department of Student Services.

Vaping involves inhaling e-liquid, sometimes called “e-juice” in the form of aerosol produced by an electronic cigarette or vape device. The aerosols can contain flavorings, diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease, nicotine and other harmful chemicals and heavy metals. Vape cartridges or “pods” can also be filled with THC, CBD or other inhalable drugs.

Source: American Lung Association

Yes, e-cigarettes and vaping devices are synonymous. Ever-evolving slang or brand names are also used to refer to vaping, including “blowing clouds,” a nod to the smoke “cloud” produced by exhaling chemical-filled aerosols.

Source: American Lung Association

Vaping is easy to hide, and the signs can be easy to miss. Unlike traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes don’t leave the telltale scent of tobacco. If you notice any of the following things, it’s best to talk with your child about your concerns and whether or not they may be  vaping.

• Presence of unfamiliar technology, online purchases or packaging
• Faint sweet or fruity scents
• Behavioral and mood changes
• Increased irritability or restlessness
• Cutting back on caffeine
• Desire for flavor due to tastebud degradation
• Pneumonia
• Increased thirst
• Nosebleeds

Source: American Lung Association

• Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive.

• Nicotine exposure in youth can damage parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control. 

• Vaping delivers chemicals such as heavy metals (e.g., lead, nickel, tin), volatile organic compounds, and flavoring agents (e.g., diacetyl) which may harm lung tissue and cause respiratory irritation. 

• Vaping increases risk of lung problems (including asthma flareups, bronchitis, and possibly long-term lung disease) even for non-smokers. 

• Some e-cigarette or vaping product use has been associated with serious lung injury (EVALI) and hospitalizations.

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times stronger than morphine. Pharmaceutical fentanyl was developed for pain management treatment of cancer patients, applied in a patch on the skin. Because of its powerful opioid properties, fentanyl is also diverted for abuse.

Fentanyl is added to heroin to increase its potency, or be disguised as highly potent heroin. Many users believe that they are purchasing heroin and actually don’t know that they are purchasing fentanyl – which often results in overdose deaths. Clandestinely-produced fentanyl is primarily manufactured in Mexico.

It can be called Apache, China Girl, China Town, China White, Dance Fever, Goodfellas, Great Bear, He-Man, Poison, and Tango & Cash.

Fentanyl can be injected, snorted/sniffed, smoked, taken orally by pill or tablet, and spiked onto blotter paper. Fentanyl patches are abused by removing its gel contents and then injecting or ingesting these contents. Patches have also been frozen, cut into pieces, and placed under the tongue or in the cheek cavity.

Similar to other opioid analgesics, fentanyl produces effects such as: relaxation, euphoria, pain relief, sedation, confusion, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, urinary retention, pupillary constriction, and respiratory depression.

To help fight the fentanyl problem, you can:

• Talk to your children. Tell them that ANY pill they get from a friend or purchased online or off of the street could be a counterfeit pill containing fentanyl. Only take medication that was prescribed by a doctor, purchased at a pharmacy, and approved by parents or guardians.   

• Learn about the fentanyl crisis and help spread the word that this is a dangerous situation. Visit the Centers for Disease Control website’s Fentanyl Facts page as a starting-point: https://www.cdc.gov/stopoverdose/fentanyl/index.html

• Ensure that your child delivers all medications, including over-the-counter medications, to the school nurse for distribution. Students should not carry any medications with them at school, nor share them for any reason.   

• Reach out to your school nurse or counselor with any specific concerns, or if you need additional resources that are unique to your family.

• Department of Justice/Drug Enforcement Administration  outlines the facts about counterfeit pills.

Fentanyl Facts

• The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outlines facts about fentanyl.

• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration explains why you should talk with your child about alcohol and other drugs.

East Central Police Department

• Non-emergency (210) 634-6240
• Emergency Hotline (210) 709-8080