More than 50 sixth-graders at Fowler Middle School in Tigard, Oregon, ate pretzels seasoned with crushed oven cleaner on Oct. 20, 2025, after a kitchen staff member mistook the caustic cleaner for salt. Now a family is suing the Tigard-Tualatin School District for up to $950,220.85, naming the district, the lead kitchen worker and Principal Cindy Pellicci. The student at the center of the case, identified as L.L., reported burning in his mouth and throat, followed by chest pain and stomach upset.
The lawsuit focuses as much on the response as the mistake. Poison Control wasn’t contacted until roughly 27 minutes after staff realized what happened, and families didn’t receive an email until nearly two hours after students ate. Tigard Police reviewed the case and filed no criminal charges, and the kitchen lead remains employed by the district. The district has described the incident as human error.
For Suncoast families from Bradenton to Venice, the story raises practical questions about any school cafeteria: where chemicals are stored, who trains the staff, and how quickly parents would hear about a health scare. If you have concerns, your district’s food service office is the first call. What would you want your child’s school to do first in a situation like this?
