Preschool Teacher Arrested for Dosing Sippy Cups With Sleeping Pills

A Morgan Hill, Calif., preschool teacher was arrested on March 11, 2013, for allegedly putting sleeping pills in young toddlers’ sippy cups, reported ABC local news.
Preschool Teacher Arrested for Dosing Sippy Cups With Sleeping Pills
3/14/2013
Updated:
3/14/2013

A Morgan Hill, Calif., preschool teacher was arrested on March 11, 2013, for allegedly putting sleeping pills in young toddlers’ sippy cups, reported ABC local news.

The 59-year-old teacher, Debbie Gratz, worked at the Morgan Hill Kiddie Academy for five years; she worked in childcare for 20 years.

Gratz was responsible for 10 children between the ages of 1 and 2 years at the academy.

A colleague noticed Gratz dropping something strange into the children’s sippy cups on the morning of March 8.

“She was prepping water for them and one of the other employees witnessed her putting something into these sippy cups,” Morgan Hill Police Sgt. Troy Hoefling said, local media reported. “Not all of them, but some of them.”

Gratz admitted that it was Sominex—an adult sleeping pill. She was fired immediately, the same day. The police were notified on March 11, when they then arrested Gratz at her home.

Bianca Flores’ 2-year-old son, who often suffers seizures, was in Gratz' class. According to local media, the academy did not tell Flores why Gratz was fired. Flores learned of the reason from her sister, who saw on the news that Gratz was fired for drugging students’ sippy cups.

“Sickening, sick to my stomach, I want to throw up,” Flores said, adding that she will take her son to a doctor to see if her son’s seizures are related to Sominex, reported to local media.

Gratz will face charges of felony and misdemeanor child endangerment.