A student is accused of spiking a teacher's drink with eye drops to get even with the teacher for suspending one of his friends. The threats had been in the wind days before the incident. When I first read this, I thought there had to be something I was missing.
VIDALIA, La. - A 16-year-old student is accused of poisoning his teacher, who went to the hospital with "severe intestinal distress" after the teen spiked a soft drink with eye drops, authorities said.
The teenager, whose name was not released because of his age, faces a charge of simple battery by mingling substances, the sheriff's office said Wednesday. The student was released to his guardians and has a juvenile court hearing scheduled this month.
The main ingredient of the drops — tetrahydrozoline — can be highly toxic if ingested and can cause such symptoms as nausea, coma and depression of the central nervous system, depending on the dose, according to the National Poison Control Center.
Most of us warn teens when they are going to a party to keep an eye on their drinks. Shouldn't we all take this to heart? I don't care where I am, I am not going to leave an uncovered drink unguarded and return for another sip. Even if it's not tampered with by a human, a fly or other unwilling occupant might be inhabiting your beverage without your knowledge. In a classroom, a bottled water with a lid works best. It can stay out of sight behind the desk.
The student accused of poisoning the teacher's drink with eye drops denies that he is responsible. It might be a tough case to prove. At any rate, it is just sad that teachers can't do their jobs and enforce the rules without worrying about repercussions.
One more lesson for this story is to keep eye drops and other similar products locked away from small children. I never would have thought that eye drops could be so harmful if swallowed.