A Calhoun City High School teacher in Mississippi is no longer employed after serving dog treats to students during a classroom birthday celebration.
According to local outlet WTVA, Dr. Lisa Langford, superintendent of the Calhoun County School District, said the teacher mistakenly believed the treats were beef jerky.
Eight students took at least one bite of the treats on Wednesday before the mistake was discovered, according to Langford.
Langford told WTVA that one of the students was taken to a doctor after experiencing a stomach ache.
A file photo of a classroom. A Calhoun City High School teacher in Mississippi is no longer employed after serving dog treats to students during a classroom birthday celebration.
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The school nurse responded quickly by calling Poison Control and notifying the children’s parents, Langford said.
The incident occurred during a class celebration for several students. Langford did not release the name of the teacher, but did say that educator is no longer with the district.
She didn’t specify whether the teacher was fired or left for other reasons, according to the reports.
Newsweek contacted the school district via telephone for further comment and left a voicemail message.
It’s not the first time a teacher has given students something unusual to eat.
In 2023, a kindergarten teacher in Humble, Texas, resigned after being found to have given melatonin gummies, a sleep aid, to special education students without parental consent.
The parents of all students in the class were notified by the principal. The district also reported the incident to police, the State Board for Educator Certification and Child Protective Services.
In 2018, a teacher’s assistant in East Honolulu accidentally served Pine-Sol cleaner instead of apple juice to three children.
The mistake occurred when the assistant grabbed the cleaner from a cart in the kitchen, mistaking it for juice.
Paramedics were called to the preschool and treated the affected children. It was determined that none of the children had signs of sickness or trauma, so no one was admitted into the hospital.
“Just a sip, or a taste, or a lick is probably not a real problem, but if a lot is consumed, that can be a problem.” Dr. Alvin Bronstein, Hawaii State Department of Health’s Chief Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention System Branch, told Hawaii News Now at the time.
The preschool sent out a letter to parents following the incident, calling it “unfortunate.”
“Only sips were taken before the lead teacher realized the liquid was not apple juice,” the preschool said. “The staff responded immediately by calling EMS and police. The children’s parents were immediately notified as well.”
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