An elementary school belonging to Texas’ Spring Independent School District (ISD) said Tuesday they placed two teacher aides on leave after drugging accusations surfaced.
Parents accused Northgate Crossing Elementary School of giving their children “sleepy stickers” meant for adults, KHOU 11 reported.
Lisa Luviano, the mother of a student at the school, claimed that parents were not notified about the alleged sleeping patches and that she learned about the issue when her 4-year-old daughter, Layne, smuggled one of the stickers home back in September. “The sticker makes me fall asleep,” Layne said.
“I showed it to my 4-year-old and she said, ‘Yes, that’s the sleepy sticker,'” Melissa Gilford, another parent, said. “They’re called Sleep Z Patch, and if you read the ingredients it has a lot of things I’ve never even heard of.”
Najala Abdullah observed changes in her son’s behavior since the start of school and that he would cry more than usual and eat less. “They’re giving them drugs to make them sleep to keep them quiet,” she added.
Four Spring Independent School District staff members have been placed on leave as investigators look into allegations that they were giving preschool students sleeping aids. #khou11 https://t.co/Hyz6lCB6pA
— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) October 10, 2024
An email from the school’s principal that announced the suspensions of the staffers said that the police were informed of the matter and had opened an investigation.
“Northgate Elementary administration was notified by a parent that their child was given a sleeping aid patch in the classroom by their teacher. Upon learning of the allegation the teachers in that classroom were immediately removed and placed on administrative leave. As a precautionary measure, two paraprofessionals in that classroom have also been placed on administrative leave pending the ongoing investigation by the Spring ISD Police Department, as this incident violates our Board Policy FFAC (LOCAL),” Spring ISD said in a statement to the outlet.
Spring ISD claimed that the alleged actions violated their policy. “No employee shall give any student prescription medication, nonprescription medication, herbal substances, anabolic steroids, or dietary supplements of any type, except as authorized by this or other District policy,” they said.
KHOU 11 legal analyst Carmen Roe opined that the alleged actions were not criminal due to there being “no actual or potential harm to the children” but that civil liabilities could be raised. “Parents could sue the teachers or school district for negligence, gross negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and arguably civil assault,” Carmen said.
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