Prosecutors have searched the homes of eight employees of a private preschool in New Taipei City, which has been accused of giving its students sedatives, while the number of parents who have filed police reports in the case has risen to 17, local authorities said yesterday.
Authorities early yesterday searched the homes of the school principal and seven teachers, who were then taken in for questioning, said the New Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, which is investigating the matter in collaboration with police.
The allegations against the school in Banciao District (板橋) were first made on May 14, when the parents of three students told police that a teacher had given their children some unknown drugs and had used improper physical methods to discipline them.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
In the reports, the parents said that from February to April, they noticed behavioral changes in their children, including extreme irritability and incidents of self-harm.
On May 18, prosecutors searched the school and detained a teacher, surnamed Chao (趙), for questioning, before releasing her on bail of NT$20,000.
Since then, 14 other parents have filed reports with the police, bringing the number to 17 as of yesterday, the New Taipei City Government said.
Twenty-eight of the school’s 67 students have been given drug tests, it said, adding that the results are still pending.
At a news conference last week, a student’s father, surnamed Chiang (江), said he had taken his child to three hospitals for blood and urine tests late last month after the story broke in the media.
On Thursday last week, the blood test results at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital showed the presence of barbiturates, a class of central nervous system depressant drugs used to help people sleep, relieve anxiety and muscle spasms, and to prevent seizures, Chiang said.
Yen Tzung-hai (顏宗海), a nephrologist at the hospital, told reporters that barbiturates are prescription drugs used in hospitals and are classified as Level 3 controlled substances by the Ministry of Justice, meaning they should not be easily accessible to the public.
An overdose of barbiturates can cause respiratory problems and pose a life-threatening risk, Yen said.
The teacher, Chao, who was first accused of sedating the children, has been put on leave as the investigation continues, but the school, which has not been publicly named, remains open.
In a statement yesterday, the New Taipei City Department of Education said the school was already scheduled to close on July 31, as the building’s landlord had opted not to renew the lease.
The department said it was working with parents to get the students enrolled in other schools, and had assembled a team to help the families on an individual basis, including with matters relating to medical treatment and legal advice.
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