Inset: An image of a sticker containing melatonin (YouTube/KHOU). Background: Northgate Crossing Elementary School (Google Maps).
Staff members at a primary school in Texas were recently placed on leave after putting so-called “sleeping stickers” on preschoolers during nap time, officials at the school in question said this week.
The allegations came to light in late September after one of the children came home from school with a sticker to show their mom.
That sticker was in the shape of a square, with rounded edges, a pale purple background, and a glow-in-the-dark-looking design of a crescent moon among the starry night, two clouds passing by.
Now, parents say the suspensions of the various employees allegedly responsible are not enough. They want criminal charges filed. School officials say their own law enforcement apparatus is now on the case.
One 4-year-old girl was the impetus for the ensuing scandal, the child’s mother told Houston-based ABC affiliate KTRK.
“She said, ‘It is a sleeping sticker,”” the first mother of likely many soon-to-be-aggrieved parents told the TV station. “I asked, ‘Where did you get this?’ And she said, ‘My teacher gives it to me for sleeping time.’”
The first mother said her daughter told her other children in the same preschool class received the same sticker.
“The next day, we went to the school,” she told KTRK. “We brought the evidence up there, and we filed a report. We did say we wanted to file criminal charges if this is something that is true.”
The little girl even spoke up for herself about the incident.
“The sticker makes me fall asleep,” the 4-year-old told Houston-based CBS affiliate KHOU.
Days and weeks passed. No criminal investigation appeared to be in the immediate offing. And, even more distressing: no other parents at Northgate Crossing Elementary School had been notified about the sleeping stickers, the first mother said. So, she took matters into her own hands by sending a mass text about the stickers.
Floodgates opened. More moms asked their kids about the stickers. More confirmations came from their 4-year-olds.
“I showed it to my 4-year-old and she said, ‘Yes, that’s the sleepy sticker,’” a second mother told KHOU. “They’re called Sleep Z Patch, and if you read the ingredients it has a lot of things I’ve never even heard of.”
The active ingredient in the patches appears to be melatonin — an over-the-counter dietary supplement commonly used as a sleep aid. The supplement is generally intended for adults. It is currently “unclear whether melatonin supplements are safe for children,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
A third mother who came forward said she asked her 4-year-old son if he had also received a “special sticker.”
“He said, ‘Yes, mommy. I get a special sticker.’ I said, ‘What does it look like?’” she told KTRK. “He said, ‘I get it right here on my hand, and it has the storms with the clouds and the star and the moon.’”
The third mom said she had recently noticed a series of unfortunate changes in her son.
“Every night, my son will come home,” she told KTRK. “He’s staying up. He’s not sleeping.”
The first mom told the TV station she noticed similar changes in her daughter as of late.
“I just felt bad because all of the things she was going through made sense,” she told KTRK.
Parents were formally notified on Tuesday about the stickers. At least two teachers and two paraprofessionals were suspended.
Local media coverage has apparently proven instrumental in bringing the story to light.
The school district publicly addressed the allegation in a statement provided to both KTRK and KHOU on Wednesday:
Spring ISD is aware of allegations that two staff members at Northgate Crossing Elementary School allegedly administered sleeping supplements to students on September 24. These staff members were immediately removed from the classroom and placed on administrative leave, pending an ongoing investigation by the Spring ISD Police Department. The district takes every allegation of educator misconduct seriously and will take all necessary measures to ensure that our students are educated in a safe and nurturing environment.
On Thursday, Spring ISD sent Law&Crime an updated statement:
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).
The safety of our students is our highest priority, and we take every allegation of misconduct seriously. We ask for our community’s patience as the SISD Police Department conducts their investigation.
A lengthy, accompanying letter by Spring ISD Superintendent Dr. Lupita Hinojosa was provided to “parents, guardians, and staff,” a school district spokesperson told Law&Crime.
“The news that a teacher allegedly gave a student melatonin is deeply troubling and absolutely unacceptable,” the letter reads. “Under no circumstances should any staff member ever administer medication to a student without the proper procedures in place. This behavior is a clear violation of our district policies and the trust we place in our educators. I want to be extremely clear: Spring ISD will not tolerate any actions that compromise the safety and well-being of our students.”
The first mom says it all reeks of too little, too late.
“It took them two weeks, and now they are finally saying something,” she told KTRK. “All the parents are here. We want answers.”
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
