SAN ANTONIO — As school districts and parents continue to find solutions to prevent students from vaping, one councilman is joining a conversation with a possible regulation he believes can help.
In a new council consideration request (CCR), District 9 councilmember, and mayoral candidate, John Courage is proposing to restrict building shops selling e-cigarettes/vapes, hookah, and other tobacco, within 1,000 feet of a school, daycare, or institution of higher education. The proposal is nicknamed B.R.E.A.T.H. (Building Regulations Enhancing Anti-vaping Trends & Habit).
"It's not a matter of what already exists," Courage said. "It's what we want, and what we want to make sure is it doesn't proliferate to where it's even a bigger problem."
At least two schools in North East ISD are in close proximity to vape shops. Vape Monkey is in front of Thousand Oaks Elementary School, and in March, Smokerz Paradise opened right next to James Madison High School.
"We get a lot of questions from our community members, from parents, why in the world are these vape shops so close to the schools?" Aubrey Chancellor, executive director of communications for NEISD said. "Can you do anything about it? And unfortunately, the answer is no."
A law does exist that prevents the sale of alcohol within 300 feet of a school, though no such regulation exists when it comes to vapes or e-cigarettes.
While both Smokerz Paradise and Vape Monkey do not sell vape pens that look like other items, the district says they find students with disguised vape pens that make them hard to distinguish.
"You can be wearing a hoodie and it's just the drawstring and you wouldn't know that that's a vape," Chancellor said. "There are school supplies, vapes. There are a number of things that parents would find hard to recognize."
While the district tries its best to curb vaping, seeing a shop within feet of a school, Chancellor doesn't believe helps.
"“It's hard to tell students one thing and try to educate them on how dangerous this really is for them and their health," she said "And then to see the shop right across the street? It's a difficult challenge. It's just not great to have a vape shop so close to the schools, regardless of whether it's elementary, middle or high, because it is a pervasive problem at all levels."
Courage says in his proposal, existing shops that are already within 1,000 feet of a school would be grandfathered in, however he believes B.R.E.A.T.H. would make a difference.
"We're not trying to put any business out of business that exists today," he said. "What we want to do is just limit the proliferation of these products closer to schools. We want to take every step that we can to keep our children safe and from developing bad or dangerous habits."
San Antonio ISD in a statement to KENS 5, also expressed support for the councilman's proposal, saying: "We appreciate Councilman John Courage and his City Council colleagues for their efforts to pass the B.R.E.A.T.H. (Building Regulations Enhancing Anti-Vaping Trends & Habits) initiative. Discussions like these are vital, as vaping has become a growing concern for schools."
Councilmembers Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (District 2), Dr. Adriana Rocha Garcia (District 4), Teri Castillo (District 5), and Marina Alderete Gavito (District 7) all signed on to the CCR. The proposal is now headed to governance committee which will decide whether or not the proposal should move ahead. At this time, the proposal is not on any agenda.