More than 50 Oregon students ate pretzels seasoned with oven cleaner instead of salt, and now one family is suing the school

A family is taking legal action against the Tigard-Tualatin School District after their child was served soft pretzels covered in oven cleaner at Fowler Middle School. The incident involved more than 50 students who were served the tainted food during a lunch period for sixth graders. 

As reported by People, the lawsuit was filed in Washington County Circuit Court. It names the school district, Principal Cindy Pellicci, and the lead kitchen worker as defendants. The family is seeking up to $950,220.85 in damages. Their claims include negligence, strict liability, unlawful confinement, and violations of civil rights.

According to the complaint, a student identified as L.L. felt immediate burning in his mouth and throat after eating the pretzel. He later dealt with chest pain, stomach upset, and long-term anxiety about eating at school. 

The staff reportedly did not contact Poison Control immediately

The substance used was reportedly Alto-Shaam oven cleaner, which contains sodium hydroxide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that ingesting this chemical can lead to abdominal pain, vomiting, and corrosive injury to the digestive tract. It can cause rapid internal damage, which makes this entire situation terrifying for parents.

Parent Kaylee Spiering explained that the cleaning tablets were crushed and kept in a bag that looked like salt. She said, “The bag was left on the counter, and someone mistook it for salt to put on the pretzels.” 

The legal filing outlines some details regarding how the school handled the aftermath. The lawsuit claims that staff did not contact Poison Control until nearly 30 minutes after they realized the mistake. It also alleges that the student was kept in a room for about an hour for monitoring before being sent back to class. The parents claim they were not notified about the incident until a letter arrived two hours later.

Principal Pellicci addressed the community in an email after the incident. She wrote, “We understand that today’s food incident created significant alarm within our school community.” She added, “The safety and health of our students is our top priority, and we want to reassure you that protocols were followed to immediately identify the students who ate the pretzels and check for illness or adverse reactions.”

Local officials initially ruled the event an accident. Police investigated the matter, but they closed the case after speaking with the kitchen lead over the phone because they could not establish probable cause for a crime. A spokesperson for the district told the media that they cannot comment on pending litigation.