A Texas teacher has been sidelined following claims she dished out sleep-inducing melatonin gummies to a bunch of second graders at a Spring Independent School District (ISD) elementary school. Parents, who are fuming over the incident, allege the gummies were administered without their consent, causing kids to nod off during school hours. According to FOX 26 News, the teacher, who was covering for an absent colleague at Salyer Elementary School, is now on administrative leave pending an investigation.

Outraged mother Stormie Young recounted to KHOU that her daughter and other students were provided the melatonin gummies during a school day. "She said ‘mommy, I think my teacher gave me a sleeping gummy," Young told KHOU. "She said because she gave it to me, and right after that, I went to sleep." The school district initially found no evidence of misconduct, an stance that might be shifting under the heat of parental pressure and media coverage.

Following the incident, Young used a school app to loop in other parents, urging them to come forward with their children's accounts. Cheryl Ziegler, another riled parent, said her 7-year-old daughter was also part of the unexpected midday siesta. "What would have happened if she would have had an allergic reaction?" Ziegler expressed her concern in a statement obtained by KHOU. Sherika Washington, whose son shared a similar tale, insisted, "I feel like she shouldn’t work with kids ever again," during a KHOU interview.

Spring ISD, in a missive to KHOU, claimed that an immediate investigation was set into motion, which initially did not substantiate the allegations. However, the district's subsequent response saw a pivot, placing the educator in question away from the classroom. "What evidence do you need?" asked Young. "My daughter’s 7. So she just cooked this up in her brain?" she questioned the district's initial position in disbelief.