House Resolution 1829
By: Representative Au of the 50th
A RESOLUTION
Urging Georgia schools and boards of education to adopt evidence-based discipline policies
and procedures to address the public health crisis of student vape and e-cigarette use; and for
other purposes.
WHEREAS, the adolescent use of e-cigarettes and vapes has become a national public health
crisis, with the American Lung Association reporting that more than 2.1 million middle and
high school students are currently using e-cigarettes, with a staggering 18.2 percent of high
school students across the State of Georgia currently using e-cigarettes, more than double the
nation's average; and
WHEREAS, vaping exposes young people to nicotine and other harmful substances at a time
when the brain is most at risk for addiction, and because the brain continues to develop until
early adulthood, the use of any addictive substance prior to these years is especially risky;
and
WHEREAS, the House Study Committee on the Costs and Effects of Smoking found that
e-cigarettes contribute to serious and negative health effects, and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention confirms these include respiratory illnesses, asthma, ADHD, and
other behavioral problems in youth, as well as withdrawal symptoms when youth seek to
quit; and
WHEREAS, e-cigarette device use is the second leading disciplinary incident in Georgia
public schools according to the Georgia Office of Student Achievement, and in more than
50 percent of school vaping cases, children are suspended or expelled from school for long
periods of time; and
WHEREAS, research shows that suspensions of 10 days or more can cut students' likelihood
of graduating in half and that children who do not graduate experience higher rates of chronic
illness, homelessness, joblessness, and justice involvement, costing the state millions of
dollars in lost revenue and increased social services; and
WHEREAS, the 2025 House Study Committee on Student Attendance recognized that
chronic absenteeism is a "critical barrier to student achievement, literacy, and long-term
workforce readiness" and must be reduced; and
WHEREAS, rather than zero tolerance approaches to student vaping that have proven
ineffective at stopping students from vaping or helping them recover from addiction, schools
require evidence-based, health-focused alternatives to school suspensions and expulsions to
combat the vaping crisis and protect student education, health, and wellbeing; and
WHEREAS, schools may participate in the Georgia Department of Public Health's "Opt-Out
Live Vape Free Program," in which a child caught vaping in school is given the opportunity
to participate in a multipart education and cessation program as an alternative to suspension;
and
WHEREAS, schools may also take advantage of other free, effective vaping education,
cessation, and alternative-to-suspension programs, including the Department of Public
Health's Tobacco-Free Schools Toolkit, the American Lung Association's INDEPTH and
N-O-T for schools and students, and school-based behavioral health services offered by
Georgia's Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities' Apex and other
programs.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that
the members of this body urge Georgia schools and boards of education to reject ineffective
zero tolerance discipline approaches to student vaping in favor of alternative-to-suspension
programs proven to help students stop vaping while remaining in school in safe and
supportive learning environments.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the
public and the press.