3 largest districts in Kansas’ most populous county sue Juul

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — The three largest school districts in Kansas’ most populous county are suing a leading e-cigarette maker as they struggle to stop students from vaping.

The Kansas City Star reports that school boards for the 27,000-student Shawnee Mission district and 22,000-student Blue Valley voted Monday to sue Juul. Last month, the board for the nearly 30,000-student Olathe district decided to sue.

The suits seek unspecified compensation for the costs of trying to keep vaping out of schools.

Blue Valley school board President Cindy Bowling said Tuesday that staff is “spending significant amounts of time monitoring and policing vaping in school.” She described it as a “drain of resources and a major distraction.”

Juul has said it doesn’t market to youth and its products are meant to be an alternative to smoking.