Spokane Public Schools, West Valley to receive payout from settlement with vape manufacturer Juul

Spokane Public Schools and the West Valley School district will receive payouts from a multidistrict lawsuit settlement with vape manufacturer Juul Labs, Inc. that alleged the company intentionally marketed their products to kids.

The Spokane School Board on Wednesday unanimously approved a resolution leading to a $320,000 settlement. It’s unclear how much West Valley will be awarded.

Juul is among the defendants in the class-action lawsuit, in which involved districts across the nation are each receiving a portion of the settlement. The suit alleged the company used advertising tactics to market to children, with ads featuring bright colors, young models and cartoon characters. Cartridge flavors like mango and creme brulee produced by the company also appealed to kids, the suit alleged.

“They did things that didn’t really acknowledge what they were providing; as a product in a young person’s hands, it can be highly addictive,” Spokane School Board President Mike Wiser said.

“After the amount of harm that’s been done, it felt appropriate to hold them accountable.”

The district will spend its portion of the settlement on expenses like bathroom vaping detectors, substance use counselors and resources to raise awareness about vaping addiction, Wiser said.

Spokane joined the settlement in April 2022, compelled by statistics indicating a glaring uptick of vaping among youth. A state department of health survey found a 50% increase in vaping among 12th-graders from 2016 to 2018.

Wiser said he heard from students in the district before the pandemic that vaping was prevalent in school bathrooms. Some students were reluctant to use the bathroom for fear they’d encounter clouds of bubblegum-flavored vapor while trying to relieve themselves.

Added to middle and high school bathrooms in the district last year, sensors to detect vape products are becoming increasingly common in school bathrooms.

West Valley Superintendent Kyle Rydell said in his district, the detectors have been effective in deterring vape use in school bathrooms. Knowing which kids are vaping also means schools assign educational modules surrounding addiction, mental health and recovery to students who vape.

“Once we knew who they were because they set the vape sensors off, we were able to provide intervention to those kids,” Rydell said.

West Valley plans to use its award for vape detectors in middle schools and curriculum to aid in intervention. Rydell said prevention and intervention are priorities for their funding.

“I don’t want to see young kids get addicted to something they can’t kick,” Rydell said.