Texas elementary teacher resigns after investigation learns she gave students melatonin gummies: report
Taking melatonin supplements helps promote sleep
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Humble, Texas, elementary school teacher has resigned after an investigation discovered she gave some of her students melatonin gummies in September, according to reports.
FOX 26 in Houston reported that Humble Independent School District (ISD) officials received information about a teacher at Pine Forest Elementary School giving her students melatonin gummies in September.
The Mayo Clinic says the human body produces melatonin for general needs, but taking melatonin supplements helps promote sleep and is safe for short-term use.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sleep aids, some of which are melatonin gummies, are displayed for sale in a store in Miami. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images/File/Fox News)
After receiving a tip that a teacher was providing melatonin gummies to elementary school students, Humble ISD officials quickly launched an investigation which determined she did so on her own, and without permission from parents.
Officials also reportedly said the teacher failed to tell the nurse and school administrators of her actions.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}District officials said they were "appalled that the teacher made this decision," adding that her actions were unacceptable, the news station reported.
MELATONIN GUMMIES FOUND TO CONTAIN POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS LEVELS OF THE HORMONE: STUDY
Interior of classroom in elementary school (iStock)
The teacher, who resigned and has not been in a classroom since late September, has not been identified by school officials.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The incident was reported to the State Board for Educator Certification, Child Protective Services and the police, officials said.
The Pine Forest Elementary School principal also called all parents of the students in the teacher’s class about the incident, and all students are doing well.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The incident was reported to the State Board for Educator Certification, Child Protective Services and the police, officials said. (iStock)
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) conducted a survey that found nearly half (46%) of parents in the U.S. have given melatonin to a child under the age of 13, and almost one-third (30%) of parents have given the supplement to a teen over the age of 13 to help him or her fall asleep.
While administering melatonin to a child may seem like a natural solution, a 2022 AASM health advisory warned against using it for children because melatonin is not regulated by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The increased use of melatonin has also led to a spike in reports of melatonin overdoses, calls to poison control centers and emergency room visits among children, the AASM said.
Fox News Digital's Melissa Rudy contributed to this report.