This High School Is Locking Down Most of Its Bathrooms to Stop Students from Vaping

This article originally appeared on VICE Canada.

A North Vancouver high school is taking the somewhat drastic measure of locking up most of its bathrooms to stop kids from vaping inside them.

Seycove Secondary School recently sent out a memo to parents notifying them that students are routinely hanging out in the school bathrooms, locker rooms, and even classrooms to vape.

In an email to VICE, the North Vancouver school board said the increase in vaping has become a “serious safety issue” that is scaring non-vaping students away from the bathrooms.

“Not only is it a safety and health concern for those vaping, but it is also a safety concern for the rest of the students. Other students are reporting that they are scared to go to the washrooms because of the students who are frequently vaping there,” said school board spokeswoman Deneka Michaud in the email.

As a response to this purported epidemic, the school is locking four of its six bathrooms for the week. The two bathrooms that will remain open to more than 500 students are located by the school office and near the gym. However, Michaud said the washrooms that remain open are large.

“Yesterday was the first day for this initiative and there has been no negative impact on washroom availability to students.”

According to CBC News, students will only be able to access locker rooms to change at the start or end of class—and faculty have been advised to monitor how many students are away from class at a time.

“The bottom line is that vaping is having a significant negative impact on our community and our learning environment and it is illegal for all of the students in this building for a reason," says the memo to parents, noting that vaping poses serious health risks.

It is illegal for anyone under the age of 19 to vape in North Vancouver, British Columbia.

Sign up for our newsletter to get the best of VICE delivered to your inbox daily.

Follow Manisha Krishnan on Twitter.