Parents trust that schools are one of the safest places for their children to be.
In the last decade or so, massive strides have been made in terms of ensuring a safe learning experience for kids with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, and behavioral issues.
Everyone has a right to an education, regardless of their medical needs.
It is perfectly normal to have a classroom in which some students use Epi Pens, take medication, or use alternative methods learning in order to participate.
It is not the teacher’s job to judge who needs these things and who doesn’t.
It is their job to accommodate their students as much as possible based on their diagnosed medical history.
Parents also trust that when their children do have medical needs, that teachers can take care of their children when they can’t.
But recently, this was not the case at one elementary school in Virginia.
A nurse in a Virginia school has recently been arrested for meddling with students’ medications.
Caitlin Poytress is a former Chesterfield County Public Schools clinic aide.
She has been accused of “swapping students’ Adderall, a prescription drug used to treat ADHD, with over-the-counter medications like Benadryl.”
Poytress has been charged with three counts of child endangerment.
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But that’s not all.
She has also been charged with possession of a schedule II drug, possession with intent to distribute a schedule III drug, possession with intent to distribute a schedule IV drug, and three counts of petit larceny.
The arrest follows a complaint from a parent.
A mother of a student at Clover Hill Elementary School reported to Chesterfield Police in Virginia that her child’s medication had been stolen at school on May 21.
She had suspicions.
She believed that her son was given half an adult dose of Benadryl in place of his proper medication, as he would “get off of the school bus tired, dehydrated and out-of-it” for weeks.
Poytress also used a variety of other medications as replacements.
Other students’ ADHD medication was allegedly replaced with such substances as Clonazepam, used to treat seizures, and Naproxen, an anti-inflammatory drug with the common brand name Aleve.
Chesterfield Police have released a statement regarding the aide’s arrest.
“Upon further investigation,” a police spokesperson stated, “it was discovered that Caitlin Poytress, while a clinic aide at the school, had been stealing Adderall prescribed to students and replacing it with over-the-counter medication.”
The child’s mother is understandably furious.
“I’m still stunned obviously,” she said. “It makes me furious someone would steal someone’s prescription and drug [my son] with a dose of Benadryl that he would take only with an extreme allergy attack.”
Other parents at Clover Hill are concerned for the safety of their own kids.
“This is just a horrible situation and it really makes you wonder what’s going on in people’s heads,” said Jennifer, a mother of a second-grader at the school. “I’m obviously shocked by the fact that someone who is supposed to be taking care of our children during the school day would do something like this.”
Chesterfield County Public Schools has since released its own statement.
“The safety and security of our students and staff is a top priority. These are very serious charges and the clinic aide will not be returning to our schools, ” a representative stated. “The school division is working with Chesterfield Police on their investigation, and we continue to be in direct contact with the families of students who are involved.”
h/t WTVR