Spring, Texas ISD teacher placed on leave after allegedly giving students melatonin gummies

A Spring Independent School District teacher has been placed on administrative leave following allegations of giving students melatonin gummies. This comes after concerns raised by multiple parents at Salyer Elementary School.

Spring ISD parents are outraged after they said their children were given melatonin gummies at school. Stormie Young said her daughter’s teacher was absent on Wednesday and a handful of students were assigned to another teacher for the day. She said that the teacher handed out melatonin to her daughter and other students.

"I don’t send my kid to school to sleep. I send her to school to get an education," said Stormie Young, the parent of a 2nd grader at Salyer Elementary School.

It wasn’t until after school that Young said her 2nd grader told her about the melatonin gummy.

Parents outraged after teacher allegedly gave second grader melatonin gummies

Spring ISD initially issued a statement claiming no evidence of wrongdoing. However, after an investigation by FOX 26 News, and multiple complaints from parents, the district placed the teacher on administrative leave.

"She said ‘mommy, I think my teacher gave me a sleeping gummy," said Young. "She said because she gave it to me, and right after that, I went to sleep."

Continuing to question her daughter, Young said the teacher forced the 2nd grader to take the gummy.

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"She went in the bottle, and she got it, and she gave it, she said ‘here, take this and be quiet," said Young.

That’s when Young notified the other parents.

"So when I spoke to the principal this morning, he said it was about two and a half hours. So she was sleep for two and a half hours," said Cheryl Ziegler, another parent of a 2nd grader at Salyer Elementary School.

"What other evidence do you need? My daughter is seven, so she just cooked this up in her brain?" said Young.

"If you have to give them melatonin to calm down, you don’t need to be here. These are kids. I feel like she shouldn’t work with kids ever again," said Sherika Washington, another Spring ISD parent.

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FOX 26 Reporter Sherman Desselle spoke with Spring ISD teachers about a communication they received telling them the school district wants their money back.

FOX 26 News reached out to Spring ISD for comment on the claims. The district responded "Per the district's standard policy and procedure, the teacher is currently on administrative leave at this time as part of the investigative process."