School lunches have long been considered one of the most maligned meal options in the nation.
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From the days of mystery meat to decades of efforts to make school meals healthier amid concerns over childhood obesity, school lunches have often drawn complaints from students.
Based on data from a 2023 EducationWeek survey, one in five teens said poor taste and quality made them unlikely to eat school meals.
Just about every public school student has had at least one bad school lunch experience, but few had to endure what a group of Fowler Middle School students experienced.
More than 50 students ate all or part of pretzels contaminated with crushed oven cleaner, leading to upset stomachs and a hefty lawsuit against the school district and other defendants.
A family is suing the Tigard-Tualatin School District after their child fell ill due to the wild lunchtime mistake. According to court documents obtained by KPTV, the family is seeking up to $950,220.85 in damages.
The lawsuit alleges that about 37 pretzels coated with crushed oven cleaner were served during the sixth-grade lunch period, with more than 50 students eating all or part of them.
Middle School Student Falls Ill After Consuming Crushed Oven Cleaner
Upon eating the tainted treats, one student immediately felt a burning sensation in his mouth and throat.
The student was kept in a room for roughly an hour and returned to class after staff said he was asymptomatic. His parents were not informed of his potential poisoning, the lawsuit alleged.
His mother stated that her child returned home with a sore throat and stomach pain from consuming the caustic chemical cleaner, which contains highly corrosive sodium hydroxide.
The dangerous seasoning mix-up was discovered by substitute kitchen staffer Chloe Larson. Larson tasted the seasoning and felt a burn, according to the outlet.
She then addressed the lead kitchen staffer, who reportedly acknowledged that the substance was oven cleaner.
Staff allegedly contacted Poison Control about 27 minutes after realizing what happened. Nearly two hours later, the school emailed parents about the incident, the complaint added.
The lawsuit claims that the school district failed to properly store caustic chemicals away from food. The filing also ripped the school district for inadequate staff training.
Tigard-Tualatin School District confirmed that the lead kitchen staffer is still employed by the district.
