Important message from our School Resource Officer:

Dear Parents,

My name is Chuck Reece, I am the School Resource Officer at Morse and work for the Bath Police Department in conjunction with RSU1. I am reaching out to you in concern with a change I am seeing in tobacco use. I have attached a picture of three examples of Tobacco products to this email. From left to right are a Juul, Vaporizer, and a pack of cigarettes. The last was much more common just a few years ago. The first is what I am hearing and seeing as a much bigger trend currently. It often does not give off a smell like you would anticipate. It can be bought with additives to smell like candy, fruit, or anything you can imagine. The smoke or vapor evaporates quickly and does not linger in the air.

These products cost $20.00-$100.00 to purchase. Some ways I know the kids are getting these are through friends who are of age or by buying them online with a gift card. The gift card acts like a credit card which allows them to bypass the age requirements. They will have them delivered to your homes with the anticipation of needing to get home before the parents to get the package. They are small enough that they can be hidden easily and without knowing what they look like can be hidden in plain view. I want to give you this information so that you are able to approach the topic with your teens.

The procedure I go by for dealing with the above when found is separate from the schools response. I will give a warning the first time a juvenile is found in possession of tobacco. The second violation is a civil summons for possession of tobacco by a juvenile. If they are caught selling, it is a separate charge and will not receive a warning on first violation. They will see a summons on first offense for sale of tobacco. The law will be changing this summer from 18 to 21 years of age to possess or obtain tobacco products. I hope you find this information helpful. Any questions you may have to do with this or any other topic please feel free to email me back.

Thank you for your time,
Officer Reece
Email- creece@rsu1.org