SAN ANTONIO — A mother is speaking out about a medication mix-up at her son’s school.
A doctor prescribed the 8-year-old boy Methylphenidate for his Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Methylphenidate ER to help regulate his mood.
According to Candice Smith, nurses at Cameron Elementary School administer her son’s medication twice a day.
“I actually received a disturbing phone call the morning of March 31,” said Smith. “The school nurse advised me that the health assistant had given my son another student’s controlled substance medication.”
“We can confirm that there was one instance of a child receiving the wrong medication, and we regret this error and have taken steps to prevent it from happening again,” a spokesperson for the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) said in an email.
Smith says it happened multiple times. She told KENS 5 there were 16 pills left in the bottle of her son’s morning medication at school, and 20 of the mid-day pills. Accounting for Spring Break, she believes her son received someone else’s medication for weeks.
“It could have been heart medication, it could have had a long-term effect,” said Smith. “He could have passed away.”
Smith says her son suffered from migraines and stomach pain in March. After she learned about the mix-up, she says she took him a doctor to run bloodwork.
Smith says she still has no idea what her son was given.
“How can this happen? The pill bottles are labeled,” said Smith. “I feel like my son was the victim of medical negligence.”
According to the district, Student Health Services is investigating.
“As a result of the errors, both the registered nurse and the nurse’s assistant are no longer at the campus,” the SAISD spokesperson said.
When pressed for details, the spokesperson responded, “The nurse and the nurse’s assistant are still with the district and are being retrained on all proper protocols. In addition to the retraining these staff members are receiving now, we also provide annual medication administration training at the beginning of each school year.”
“It’s disheartening to know that this magnitude of an incident did not lead to termination,” said Smith. “As I have mentioned, this could have been detrimental to my son. To know that [all they got] was a slap on the hand – it’s unfair.”
If it could happen to her son, Smith says it could happen to others.
She has a message for parents.
“Be aware,” said Smith. “Be on top of being sure [your] children are being treated and administered their proper medication while in school.”