MONTEREY PENINSULA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Vape Detection Helps a California School District Address Student Vaping Across 19 Buildings
At Monterey Peninsula Unified School District in California, staff suspected vaping was occurring in school restrooms, but had limited ability to confirm incidents or respond quickly.
After deploying Zeptive vape detectors, the district gained real-time alerts that helped administrators identify incidents faster, improve supervision, and discourage vaping in monitored areas.
“The solution works,” said Manuel, the district’s Director of Technology.
“The flexibility, the support, and the durability of the device have all been really good.”
The result has been greater visibility into student behavior and safer restroom environments across multiple campuses.
District Background
Monterey Peninsula Unified School District serves approximately 9,300 students across 19 campuses in the cities of Monterey, Seaside, and Marina.
Manuel’s technology team oversees a wide range of responsibilities across the district.
“My role involves everything technology-based,” he explained. “Infrastructure, networking, applications, security, and also the devices we use for campus safety like cameras, access control, and vape sensors.”
The Vaping Challenge
Before installing Zeptive’s vape detectors, school staff primarily relied on observation or reports from students and staff to identify vaping incidents.
Because vaping typically occurred inside restrooms, it was difficult for staff to confirm incidents before students left the area. “It was usually a situation where someone saw something and went to check it out,” Manuel said. “By the time staff got there, there wasn’t any proof and the students were already gone.”
As a result, enforcement often depended on chance encounters rather than reliable detection. Restrooms had become common meeting areas where these incidents could occur without supervision.
FAST FACTS
CUSTOMER
Monterey Peninsula Unified School District (K-12)
INDUSTRY
Education
GEOGRAPHY
California
DISTRICT SIZE
9,300 students
THE ISSUE
Limited visibility into vaping incidents occurring in school restrooms across multiple campuses.
RESULTS
Vape detectors deployed across 19 schools
Faster response to vaping incidents through real-time alerts
Reduced vaping in monitored restroom areas
Improved restroom environment for students
BENEFITS
Flexible wireless or wired deployment
Real-time alerts for school staff
Durable hardware suitable for long-term use
Scalable deployment across large school districts
Why They Chose Zeptive
When evaluating vape detection solutions, the district conducted extensive research across multiple vendors.
One feature that stood out was the flexibility of Zeptive devices, which can operate using either Wi-Fi or a wired network connection.
“That flexibility was important for us,” Manuel explained. “We could deploy quickly using Wi-Fi, but if we had the opportunity to cable them later, we didn’t have to replace the entire device.”
Durability was another important factor. Because sensors require periodic battery replacement, the district wanted hardware that could withstand repeated handling and long-term use in school environments. After testing the devices in several secondary schools, the district saw reliable performance and decided to expand deployment across all campuses.
Implementation and Deployment
The district initially installed sensors in secondary school restrooms to evaluate performance and effectiveness.
After operating successfully for several years and demonstrating positive results, the district expanded the system to all 19 schools, including elementary campuses. Today, vape detectors are installed in restrooms across the district.
The devices are connected through a combination of wireless and wired installations, depending on the building’s network infrastructure and budget availability.
“For us, it really depends on the infrastructure and the budget,” Manuel said. “Ideally we would have every device wired, but the ability to run them wirelessly gives us time to transition.”
Results & Impact
After installing the sensors, the district observed several positive outcomes.
One of the most noticeable changes was student awareness of the devices. As students realized the bathrooms were being monitored, word quickly spread across campuses. This awareness has helped discourage vaping in monitored areas and reduce the number of incidents occurring in restrooms.
The sensors have also improved the experience for students who do not vape. Students who simply want to use the restroom without encountering vape smoke have expressed appreciation for the changes.
“Students who weren’t vaping appreciated it,” Manuel noted. “They didn’t have to walk into a restroom that smelled like someone had just been vaping.”
Looking Ahead
As the district continues to improve campus safety systems, administrators are exploring opportunities to convert more sensors to wired connections over time.
This would reduce battery maintenance and further improve uptime across campuses.For the district’s technology leadership, vape detection has become an important tool in maintaining healthier school environments.
“They’ve been a great addition for our schools,” Manuel said. “They help keep the bathrooms a safer space for students.”