PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The Pinellas County School Board is in talks of joining a lawsuit against JUUL Labs, one of the most popular e-cigarette brands.
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The decision comes as a way to prevent youth vaping.
Vaping has become a big issue with teens across the country and in Pinellas County alone, school leaders say there's been a 738 percent increase in just the last couple of years in the number of students using tobacco products at school, something they attribute directly to vaping.
The district has also partnered with Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital to launch the tobacco clinic.
Students who are caught vaping at school will have to go through a two-night course to avoid being suspended. The district is also in the process of adding vaping to the student code of conduct.
On Tuesday, school board members will meet with an Orlando-based law firm for the first time to discuss potential litigation against JUUL Labs.
Right now, school leaders say the district is in the information gathering stage regarding the lawsuit, but that they're open to anything that would help keep students safe.
"If there are things that we can do to alleviate or eliminate or even reduce the amount of usage, that's what we want to do, because not only do we want to keep thme safe from all the other issues out there this is a huge health issue," Pinellas County School Board Chairman Carol Cook said.
The board will not be making any decision today on whether to join in on the suit, but Cook said they are looking at the potential costs and ramifications.