Well, here’s a story you don’t hear every day: teachers allegedly handing out melatonin patches—called “sleeping stickers”—to preschoolers during nap time at a Texas elementary school. Yes, you read that right. What started as a puzzling discovery by one concerned mom has quickly turned into a full-blown scandal at Northgate Crossing Elementary School in Spring, Texas.
It all began in late September when a 4-year-old girl came home with a sticker on her hand and told her mom it was a “sleeping sticker.” The mom, understandably curious (and more than a little alarmed), dug deeper. What she found raised serious questions: the stickers reportedly contained melatonin, a sleep aid intended for adults, not preschoolers. The mom quickly took this information to the school, demanding answers and even suggesting criminal charges might be in order.
But despite the mounting concerns, the school remained silent for weeks. The administration didn’t notify parents or start any immediate criminal investigation, leaving families completely in the dark. That’s when the first mom decided to blow the whistle herself, sending a mass text to other parents. And guess what? It worked. Parents began questioning their own children, and soon more stories about these mysterious “sleepy stickers” emerged. Kids reported receiving them during nap time, and several parents noticed odd changes in their children’s sleep patterns—staying up all night, restless, and unable to settle down.
Now, if you think melatonin is a minor issue, think again. While it’s available over-the-counter, it’s not exactly a “one-size-fits-all” solution, especially for young children. According to the Mayo Clinic, the safety of melatonin for kids is still up for debate, and it’s certainly not something that should be doled out without parental consent. Yet, here we are, with teachers allegedly putting these patches on preschoolers without even a heads-up to their parents. It’s hard to imagine a more flagrant violation of trust between educators and the families they’re supposed to serve.
By the time the school district finally issued a public statement—more than two weeks after the first complaint—parents were already demanding more than just suspensions for the staff involved. They want accountability, and frankly, who can blame them? The Spring ISD Police Department is now conducting an investigation, but many parents are left wondering why it took so long for the district to act. It’s as if the administration hoped the issue would just quietly go away—until, of course, it landed on the evening news.
Brace yourself:
SPRING, Texas: teachers put melatonin sleep patches (they called them “sleepy stickers “) on preschoolers to knock them out during the day without the parents position: some kids were sleeping thru lunch or couldn’t sleep thru the night – Chile the way I would… pic.twitter.com/DHtLeo9tmq— Black Mommy Activist, PhD🎙 (@kayewhitehead) October 10, 2024
The district’s response included the removal of the teachers and paraprofessionals involved, and a somber letter from Superintendent Dr. Lupita Hinojosa, stressing that the alleged actions were a “clear violation of our district policies.” She emphasized that under no circumstances should staff administer medication without proper procedures. Well, that’s obvious. But it begs the question: how did this happen in the first place, and why was it allowed to continue until a parent exposed it?
The first mom who raised the alarm isn’t buying the district’s newfound urgency. “It took them two weeks, and now they are finally saying something,” she told local news outlet KTRK. “All the parents are here. We want answers.” And she’s not alone. More parents are joining the call for criminal charges, not just administrative leave, believing that such actions are necessary to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
Parents in Texas are demanding action after multiple employees at an elementary school allegedly gave sleeping aid patches containing melatonin and other ingredients to 4-year-old students. @sramosabc has more details. pic.twitter.com/5FsT28H7xP
— Good Morning America (@GMA) October 11, 2024
For many parents, the delayed response and lack of transparency feel like a slap in the face. It’s one thing for a rogue teacher to make a bad decision, but it’s quite another when the entire system seems more focused on damage control than on protecting the kids. Let’s hope the ongoing investigation brings clarity because trust between parents and their school has been deeply shaken—and it’s going to take more than a few statements to rebuild it.
