LVUSD Awarded $1 Million Grant To Combat Underage Smoking, Vaping

CALABASAS, CA – Las Virgenes Unified School District has been awarded a state grant of $1,075,000 by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, funded by Proposition 56, the California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016, the school district announced Monday. Only five school districts in the state won one of 71 grants under this program, the press release said.

LVUSD will partner with the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station and the cities of Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, and Westlake Village to use the funds to improve the safety of students.

“We have had a close relationship with the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Juvenile Division, or J-Team, for many years, as well as with our partner cities,” said Superintendent Dr. Dan Stepenosky. “Our goal is to use this significant grant award to improve the J-Team’s resources to increase school safety and reduce student use of tobacco and electronic cigarettes.”

LVUSD was one of the first school districts in the region this year to warn parents about the dangers of vaping products, specifically the Juul, which looks like a small USB device but is actually a electronic cigarette small enough to conceal and bring to school.

“It is extremely important that we work together to protect our students,” Stepenosky wrote in a letter to parents. “We urge you to educate your children regarding the dangers of vaping and juuling.”

The bulk of the $1,075,000 is planned to support additional School Resource Officers for the J-team, and part of the funds will be used to purchase and install state-of-the-art smoke and vape detection devices in all secondary school bathrooms, the press release said.

Ryan Gleason, Director of Education and Leadership for LVUSD, wrote the grant application and said that a whole-community approach is essential to address the issue.

“As a direct provider of student support in our community, we will greatly benefit from law enforcement support, proactive outreach, and prosecution of illegal sales to minors provided through this grant,” he said.

Tobacco remains a serious public health concern, and these grants will provide additional tools to law enforcement to help educate kids about the dangers of smoking, Attorney General Becerra said. They'll also help local communities enforce laws against selling tobacco products to minors, he said.

“These grants are an important step toward reducing illegal sales and building a healthier California,” Becerra said.

Prop. 56, the California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016, was approved by voters in November 2016. Effective April 2017, it raised the cigarette tax by $2.00 per pack, with an equivalent increase on other tobacco products, the press release said. Prop. 56 specifically allocates $30 million of revenue to be distributed annually by the California Department of Justice to local law enforcement agencies for the support and hiring of peace officers for various activities, including investigations intended to reduce the illegal sale of tobacco products to minors, according to the press release.

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