Deputies Respond To Vaping Incident At VVS High School

UPDATE: 02082022 1720  The Oneida County Sheriff's Office has corrected the information released to include that the students were high school students, not students at the middle school.

Original Story:

Oneida County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to Vernon Verona Sherrill High School (not the middle school - see 02082022 1720 update) on Tuesday after several students became ill from smoking a liquid through a vape pen smoking device.

One VVS student was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

Two other students were evaluated at the school.

Deputies say the exact number of students who used the vape pen is unknown at this time.

The investigation into the contents of the vape pen and the circumstances surrounding the incident are still pending.

It is the third vaping incident at a local school district in the last several weeks.

On February 2, several students at Clinton High School became sick after smoking from a vape pen.

Three students were taken to the hospital.

Two other students were evaluated by medical personnel at the school and not hospitalized.

Oneida County Sheriff Rob Maciol says that preliminary test results show that the vaping pens have tested positive for the presence of tetrahydrocannabinol, referred to commonly as "THC," the active ingredient in marijuana that produces the feeling of being "high."

Testing is still being done to determine what other substances may have been inside the pens.

Meanwhile in December, a vaping incident at Oneida Herkimer Madison BOCES sent three students to the hospital.

School Resource Officers were notified by school officials regarding a student having a reaction from smoking an unknown substance out of a vape pen.

An investigation found that a total of four students had smoked from the vape pen and suffered reactions.