The new lights above each bathroom in Broad Run High School has been a regular topic amongst many friend groups recently. From people saying how they are broken vape sensors to people complaining about how ugly they are, surely you have talked about it. What are they really? Why do we have them? Is it a Broad Run or Loudoun County policy?
My curiosity about these new detectors got the better of me. So I took it upon myself to interview Mr. Summers, one of the Broad Run security staff, to get his input and gain real information on the matter.
Mr. Summers gives me a detailed and logical description on what the sensors are for. Though this feels like a new policy, it’s not. They were implemented in Loudoun Valley High and Stone Bridge High about a year ago, and thought up by the school board way before. Infact, Broad Run High School is one of the last schools to add them.
The sensors detect movement, noice, time, and yes, nicotine or other substances. Though Mr. Summers has made it clear that,
“It does detect things like nicotine, but that’s not its sole purpose. They’re to help control students skipping classes, fights, and any other disturbances. Basically, if you’re not where you’re supposed to be, it gives us some sort of signal.”
Well, how do they know what the sensor detects? Easy!
Mr. Summers explains that each color the light is, means something different. For example, say the light turns red, that may indicate that someone is being loud in the bathroom. The light turning on means that someone is inside the bathroom. The detectors can also track the amount of time someone is in the bathroom. The light flickering means that someone has been in the bathroom for over two minutes.
Though ugly and seemingly a scare tactic, it is evident that these sensors do work and despite popular belief, are not only vape sensors.
