Gorey Community School
Background
Gorey Community School, the largest secondary school in Ireland, serves over 1,600 students aged 12 to 18 in the vibrant and rapidly growing town of Gorey. Under the leadership of Principal Michael Finn, the school fosters academic excellence while maintaining a warm, supportive, and inviting environment.
Nationwide, e-cigarette use among Irish teenagers has surged, with 39% of 15- and 16-year-olds having tried vaping by 2019. This trend underscored the need for action at Gorey Community School, leading them to adopt Verkada’s air quality sensors and cameras—a technology-driven solution that has reinforced student well-being.
The Challenge
Because vapes don't smell like regular cigarettes, they are easy to conceal. Students can take a discreet puff before school, between classes, during breaks, and after class. Principal Finn outlined the dual issues this created:
Health Risks: The unknown chemicals in vapes and their potential long-term effects raised serious concerns among students, staff, and parents.
Student Fear: Bathrooms became unwelcoming spaces for many students, who felt intimidated by groups gathering to vape.
Detecting, addressing, and substantiating vaping incidents in real time proved difficult, leading the school to pursue a more effective and proactive solution.
The Solution
In addition to programmes to drive awareness and action around student vaping, the Gorey Community School took a proactive step to addressing the student vaping epidemic head-on: identify vaping incidents on campus. To do so, they turned to Verkada's air quality sensors and cameras, which provide:
Vape Detection: Sensors use the Vape Index—a 1-100 scale analysing factors like TVOC, PM2.5, and motion—to assess the likelihood of vaping or smoking with high confidence.
Actionable Alerts: Notifications are sent via email and SMS text message when vaping is detected.
Visual Evidence: Cameras placed outside bathrooms capture footage that links vape events to specific individuals.
Custom Settings: Adjusted sensor sensitivity minimises false positives, enabling precise detection of vape-related incidents.
Objective Evidence: Clear, reliable information encourages decision-making and indisputable incident resolution.
The school began with a free trial programme, providing an opportunity to evaluate Verkada’s capabilities in a real-world environment. The system quickly proved its value.
“Verkada’s solutions helped us almost eliminate vaping while fostering a healthier school environment. From the trial to implementation, the process was seamless, and the results speak for themselves.”
The Results
Nearly Eliminated Vaping
97% Decrease in Vape Events: Reduction from 15–20 events daily to just 3 per week shows a remarkable improvement, which Principal Finn called 'a wonderful outcome.'
Improved Student Safety: Bathrooms are now safer and more accessible, alleviating fears among students who previously avoided shared spaces due to groups gathering to vape.
Efficient Response and Accountability: With clear evidence, the school administers consequences consistently, such as three-day suspensions for repeat offenders.
Empowering Administrators with Objective Data
The Verkada system has enabled the school to act decisively with:
Accurate Identification: Detailed footage and sensor data leave no room for doubt when presenting evidence to students and parents.
Flexible Investigations: Incidents can be reviewed and resolved without delay, or at a later time. Both cameras and sensors offer up to 365 days of device storage, while footage can be archived in unlimited cloud storage.
A Healthier School Environment
Principal Finn commended Verkada’s impact:
“Verkada has solved our problem in ways we didn’t anticipate. The sensors and cameras work seamlessly, providing indisputable evidence. It’s not just about enforcement; it’s about creating a safe and healthy school environment.”
Students and parents also noted the positive changes. Many students now feel more comfortable using school facilities, and parents have expressed gratitude for the school's proactive approach.
Looking Ahead
Encouraged by their success, Gorey Community School is building on the progress they’ve made with Verkada’s solutions. The school plans to deploy additional sensors in new areas to address potential blind spots and further reduce opportunities for vaping.
Reflecting on the quantifiable impact, Principal Finn urges other schools to explore Verkada as a valuable tool for promoting student well-being – starting with a free trial:
"The free trial gave us a chance to see Verkada’s solution in action, and it gave us the confidence to move forward. Initially, we were sceptical that such an effective tool existed, but after testing it, we knew it was exactly what we needed to combat vaping at our school. I would absolutely recommend other schools take advantage of the trial—it’s a risk-free way to find a solution that truly works."
About Verkada for Schools
Verkada’s air quality sensors and cameras empower schools to proactively address vaping and other safety concerns. The intuitive platform provides real-time alerts, actionable insights, and integrated visual evidence to help create secure, supportive environments for students.
Start with a free trial or demo to see how Verkada can support your school’s health and safety initiatives.
