Escambia trying different approach to tackle student vaping problem

Pensacola News Journal | By: Mary Lett | July 29, 2026

A drug diversion program aimed at giving first-time vape offenders a second chance is being expanded in Escambia County Public Schools.

This fall, the district is offering the Better Without It program to students at all ECPS high schools. The program began as a pilot program at Escambia High and Pensacola High at the start of the spring semester.

The school district partnered with the nonprofit organization Hope Above Fear for the program, which allows first-time nicotine or THC vape offenders to remain at their schools if they enroll in and complete the Better Without It program.

Usually, students who are caught with or using vape pens are reassigned to the district’s alternative school.

Christy Mills, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice’s transition coordinator, said 19 ECPS students participated in the pilot program during the spring semester, and only one student re-offended and was reassigned to an alternative school.

Another 20 ECPS students are expected to start the program when 2026-27 classes start in August. The majority of the students will come from Escambia and Pensacola high schools, but first-time offenders at Northview, Pine Forest, Tate, Washington and West Florida Tech high schools will also have the option of enrolling in the program.

Kerri Coots, the school district’s director of alternative education, clarified the program is not for students who give away or sell vape pens or paraphernalia. Students are referred to the program by the school district.

“If a kid is bringing it on campus and selling or giving it to anyone, that’s not the same thing as getting caught with a vape,” Coots said, adding students are prohibited from having vapes on any ECPS campus.

Jeremy Tompkins, coordinator of the ECPS Student Engagement Office, recently told Escambia County School Board members that vaping was the most common disciplinary offense in the school district last year.

“We know that across the district and across the country, we have issues in schools with THC vapes. …It’s taken the place of tobacco, and unfortunately, students are able to get them, even though they shouldn’t be able to,” Tompkins said during a report on 2025-26 student discipline at the July 16 school board workshop.

He added that it is easier for students to buy a THC vape than a tobacco vape.

“Traditional tobacco vapes that are sold are actually monitored more strictly than the THC vapes stores are, because they fall underneath the (state) attorney general’s office. But the THC vapes are governed underneath the (U.S.) Department of Agriculture and they do not have the same strict rules,” Tompkins said. “So that needs to be—and parents say this all the time—they need to have the same rules. I’d rather see them both come underneath the attorney general’s office where there could be strict regulations for selling to underage kids because that is some of the problems that we have.”

The Better Without It program has been well accepted by parents and students, Mills said.

“Every parent that we contacted about it was very on board. All of the parents and the students seemed very willing. I have never had a conversation with a negative tone to it. They’re all very excited about the opportunities they’ve been given and about the information they are going to receive and the students are going to benefit from,” she said.

To remain at their traditional schools, students-offenders must attend and participate in the eight-week Better Without It program.

The program meets once a week for an hour at Hope Above Fear’s Hope House, and while in Better Without It, students learn alternatives to vaping. They also work on a project that they present when they “graduate” from the program.

Coots describes Better Without It as a program that provides “a consequence with meaningful purpose.”

“The students are learning about what THC is doing to their bodies, but they’re also learning about healthier options for free time or boredom or anxiety. They’re learning, ‘How can I calm how I’m feeling other than with THC or nicotine?’” Coots said, adding students must complete the program or they will be reassigned to the alternative school.

The diversion program was developed by the Brevard Prevention Coalition, in collaboration with the Orange County and Seminole Prevention Coalitions in Florida, said Hope Above Fear Executive Director Stephanie Shepard.

In 2022, Better Without It became part of the Brevard County School District Drug Diversion Program as an eight-week course for first-time drug offenses and offered education and accountability in place of removal from school. The model has since expanded across Florida and inspired similar prevention efforts nationwide.

“We know that youth today are facing incredible pressures that can lead them to experiment with risky behaviors, including substance use. When a student makes a mistake and our first response is punishment, like suspension or expulsion, instead of education and support, we lose a vital opportunity for early intervention,” Shepard told the Pensacola News Journal before the ECPS program began.

“Programs like Better Without It give students a second chance to gain insight, build resilience and develop healthier coping skills. They shift the focus from discipline to growth, helping young people understand the ‘why’ behind their choices and how to make safer decisions moving forward.”

Escambia County Schools was the first local diversion program using the Better Without It model.

Shepard said Better Without It’s mission is to meet youth where they are without judgment, and give them the tools, education and encouragement to make safe, informed choices for themselves.