Parents Say Preschool Teachers Gave Their Kids 'Sleepy Stickers' to 'Keep Them Quiet'

Mar. 15, 2025

KTRK reported that Lisa Luviano said her daughter showed her one such patch, which sported a nighttime design, that she brought home from school on Sept. 24.

“She said, ‘It is a sleeping sticker.’ I asked, ‘Where did you get this?’ And she said, ‘My teacher gives it to me for sleeping time,’ " Luviano told KTRK.

After she brought the matter up with the school, Luviano later contacted other parents to find out if their kids received similar sleeping aids.

Another parent, Melissa Gilford, told KHOU that when she showed the patch to her child, the latter responded, “‘Yes, that’s the sleepy sticker.’ "

According to KTRK, a third parent, Najla Abdullah, said that she questioned her child about whether he received a sleeping aid, too.

“He said, ‘Yes, mommy. I get a special sticker,’ ” Abdullah told the station. “I said, ‘What does it look like?’ He said, ‘I get it right here on my hand, and it has the storms with the clouds and the star and the moon.’ "

Luviano told KRIV that she initially thought the other parents were dealing with the same situation as well — “only to find out no one knows anything.”

“Someone coming forward feels so much better because what my daughter said is very valid,” she said.

Speaking with KHOU, Luviano’s daughter, Layne, 4, pointed to her arm where her teacher allegedly placed the patch.

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The concerned parents called the school and notified child protective services about what happened, according KTRK, with Abdullah, one of the parents, telling KHOU: “They’re giving them drugs to make them sleep to keep them quiet.”

“I want to directly address the recent incident at Northgate Elementary involving two teachers and two paraprofessionals,” Hinojosa said.

“The report that a teacher allegedly gave a student a sleeping aid is deeply troubling and completely unacceptable,” she continued. “Please rest assured that upon learning of the incident, the staff members involved were immediately removed from the classroom, an administrative and police investigation began, and we addressed the concerns of the student’s family, offering our sincerest apology.”

“To be clear: it is entirely unacceptable for any staff member to administer any form of medication, including a sleeping aid,” Hinojosa said. “This action violates district policy, and Spring ISD has zero tolerance for behaviors that compromise student safety.”

She said a “core value” in the district “is prioritizing what is best for our students and, regrettably, this incident fell short of that goal.”

“The matter is under investigation, and we will take all necessary steps to prevent this from happening again,” her statement concluded.

source: people.com