A Juul sign hangs in the front window of a bodega convenience store in New York City in 2022. Electronic cigarette maker Juul Labs has reached settlements covering more than 5,000 cases brought by about 10,000 plaintiffs related to its vaping products. Financial terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but Juul said that it has secured an equity investment to fund it. The company has been buffeted by lawsuits and chances that it would seek bankruptcy protection, or a buyer, were elevated last month as Juul announced hundreds of layoffs and secured new financing to continue operations. AP Photo

Ted Shaffrey

School districts across Butler County received more than $311,000 from their involvement in a nationwide class-action lawsuit against Juul Labs that sought damages for the use of vaping products among students.

Though some districts have yet to determine how the funding will be used, others confirmed their intentions to use the dollars to stop vaping on school grounds — an issue that has sent students in at least one district to the hospital and brought concerned parents to school board meetings in at least one other.

Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was then state attorney general, announced the $38.8 million settlement with Juul on Dec. 12, 2022. School boards in Butler County began to formally accept their settlement amounts in late February and early March.

Tammy Schuey