'They're giving them drugs': Parents accuse preschool teachers of giving their kids 'sleepy stickers'

A group of parents accused teachers within Texas' Spring Independent School District of giving their preschool-age children "sleepy stickers" — apparently body-worn patches that release melatonin and other substances.

Lisa Luviano told WKRC-TV her daughter first brought the sleep patches to her attention last month.

'We did say we wanted to file criminal charges if this is something that is true.'

"The sticker makes me fall asleep," four-year-old Layne reportedly told Luviano.

Luviano told the news outlet that her daughter arrived home from school one day and showed her parents the patch, which she was still wearing at the time.

"She kind of pulled up her little shorts and said, 'Mom, look, this is my sleeping sticker.' And I was like, the what?" Luviano said.

The concerned mother told KTRK-TV that her girl said her teacher gave her the stickers "for sleeping time."

Layne's father, Joseph, stated that he suspected something was wrong when his daughter was not falling asleep at night.

He told WKRC, "Two o'clock in the morning, I hear some noise in the room, and I go over there, and she's still up."

The day after Layne came home and showed her parents the patch, Lisa went to the school and filed a report.

"We did say we wanted to file criminal charges if this is something that is true," Lisa told KTRK.

Lisa also took a photograph of the purple and blue sleep patch — which includes illustrations of a moon, clouds, and stars — and sent the image to other parents in Layne's class.

Melissa Gilford, whose child attends the same school as Layne, stated that her daughter recognized the patch from Luviano's photo.

"I showed it to my 4-year-old, and she said, 'Yes, that's the sleepy sticker,'" Gilford told WKRC.

After researching the patch online, Gilford discovered that it contains melatonin and other substances she was unfamiliar with.

Najala Abdullah, another parent, explained that her 4-year-old son also received the stickers while in class.

Abdullah said, "They're giving them drugs to make them sleep, to keep them quiet."

She noted that her son recently stopped eating and was returning home from school with untouched lunches.

"Every night, my son will come home. He's staying up. He's not sleeping," she told KTRK.

Abdullah also filed a report with the school as well as Child Protective Services.

Spring ISD issued a Tuesday statement to KTRK saying two of its teachers were placed on leave as police investigated the matter.

"Spring ISD is aware of allegations that two staff members at Northgate Crossing Elementary School allegedly administered sleeping supplements to students on Sept. 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," the district stated.

You can view a video report here about the controversy.

Last December a Spring ISD staff member was placed on administrative leave after allegedly giving melatonin gummies to students.

Anything else?

Melatonin, which is sold as an over-the-counter nutritional supplement, is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

According to Children's Health, there are no extensive studies on the appropriate dosage for children. However, Michelle Caraballo, M.D., a Pediatric Pulmonologist and Sleep Medicine Specialist at Children's Health and Assistant Professor at UT Southwestern, recommends one to three milligrams for toddlers and preschool-age children.

The Sleep Foundation recommends just one to two milligrams for children around 5 years old and up to three for children 6 to 12.

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