A medication mishap at a Klein ISD elementary school has caused a nurse to lose her job after a mother told KPRC 2 her twin boys’ prescription ADHD medication disappeared just days after she delivered a fresh, 30-day supply.
PREVIOUS: Klein ISD opens investigation after students take over-the-counter pills instead of ADHD medication
During a routine audit on Monday, the pill bottles were found to contain similar-looking over-the-counter medications instead, according to a letter to families shared with KPRC 2’s Bryce Newberry.
Following an investigation, the district confirmed in a subsequent letter to families Thursday that the nurse has been fired.
The letter explained a second audit was conducted “without the involvement of the school nurse” and found an additional discrepancy with another student’s medication that the school nurse “concealed during the original audit.”
“As a result, the nurse’s employment with Klein ISD has been terminated,” the district’s letter read. “The actions of this former employee are unacceptable and a fundamental violation of the trust placed in those who serve children—especially individuals who have taken a solemn healthcare oath to do no harm."
Klein ISD confirmed the nurse is now under a criminal investigation being led by the district police department.
“We will continue to work with law enforcement, licensing agencies, and the Texas Board of Nursing to ensure all actions are fully investigated, reported, and addressed through every appropriate legal and regulatory channel,” the district’s letter added.
KPRC 2 is not identifying the nurse because she has not been criminally charged, but Klein ISD said she was first hired in October 2023 and did not disclose her previous employment at another local school district.
Before she came to Klein ISD, KPRC 2 has confirmed she worked as a nurse at Magnolia ISD from August 1, 2023, to September 22, 2023 but then resigned under investigation. A Magnolia ISD spokesperson told KPRC 2 the district reported the findings of its investigation to the Texas Board of Nursing, but it’s unclear what the findings entailed.
“Although we are thankful that no student received harmful medication, we are deeply sorry that students did not receive the medication prescribed to them,” district officials concluded in the letter. “We are taking immediate and long-term steps to enhance the safety and oversight of medication management across all campuses. This includes additional audit procedures and staff training to ensure this type of incident cannot happen again.”
The Texas School Nurses Organization expressed serious concerns over the allegations.
“When that trust is betrayed, it is deeply disturbing,” executive director Becca Harkleroad said. “This really is dangerous for some children if they need those medications.”
She said school nurses serve as the last line of defense from other people being able to access or mismanage medications.
“When families find out that their nurse wasn’t being above board, or that something was going on that would betray that trust, it’s actually a devastating blow,” she said, noting that this is a rare occurrence. “But school nurses do practice so autonomously, right? A lot of times there’s only one school nurse on a campus for a large number of students. And with that autonomy, that’s why I said earlier that RN supervision is so important in a clinic.”
PARENTS OF ALLEGED VICTIMS REACT TO FIRING
Meanwhile, KPRC 2 also spoke the mother of the third alleged victim, who did not want to be identified, but said during the second audit, their child’s methylphenidate medication was found to have been replaced with allergy pills. The mother said the school told her it was up to 8 days that her son received the wrong medication, but she believes it may have been going on longer.
Courtney Griffin, the mother KPRC 2 spoke to earlier this week said she also met with the school during a meeting Thursday, where she learned other pills were tampered with after the director of health services audited the medications on Wednesday.
“My reaction is, one, I’m just, I’m happy that they took this seriously. I’m happy that they prioritized the kids’ health,” Griffin said. “I’m beyond ecstatic and I also feel a little vindicated … I’m beyond words.”
Initially, the district put out a letter to families on Tuesday which indicated “required intake procedures were not followed when the medication was delivered to the campus by the parent.”
“I was trying to protect my kids and then for the first thing for them to kind of jump to conclusions that it was me that was at fault, that I was the one who made the errors, it’s just so...,” she trailed off, struggling to find the right word.
Griffin said the same situation happened last year and she couldn’t see it as another coincidence again.
“At first I don’t think that they did take it seriously, but because y’all got involved, you put the story out there and parents started reading and they’re saying, ‘Hey, this is not okay,’ I think they were kind of forced to investigate,” Griffin said. “She’s got to be held accountable because she’s just so lucky that a kid didn’t get hurt or killed ... it’s just straight luck or blessings.”
She also expressed remorse at the thought of what happened to her twin boys also happening to other students.
“It gutted me,” Griffin noted. “As a nurse, it pisses me off … people trust us with their kids, with their health, with protecting them; she was doing the exact opposite.”
See below for Klein ISD’s complete letter sent to families:
Dear Kuehnle Families,
As part of our ongoing commitment to transparency and student safety, we are writing to update you on a recent development in our investigation regarding medication management practices in the clinic at Kuehnle Elementary.
Earlier, we shared with families that all prescribed oral medications had been reviewed and accounted for. That statement was based on the information available at the time and the results of an audit in which the campus nurse participated.
As the investigation continued, an additional review was directed by our district—this time conducted without the involvement of the school nurse. During this follow-up review, we discovered an additional discrepancy involving one student’s medication that the school nurse concealed during the original audit. The family of the student directly impacted has been contacted.
As a result, the nurse’s employment with Klein ISD has been terminated. The actions of this former employee are unacceptable and a fundamental violation of the trust placed in those who serve children—especially individuals who have taken a solemn healthcare oath to do no harm.
Additionally, we have also found that the former nurse was not truthful during the hiring process and lied on her application about previous school district employment. At the time of hire in Klein ISD, the nurse passed all required background checks, including a criminal history check, held a valid nursing license, and successfully cleared all reference checks for the prior employers disclosed to Klein ISD.
We will continue to work with law enforcement, licensing agencies, and the Texas Board of Nursing to ensure all actions are fully investigated, reported, and addressed through every appropriate legal and regulatory channel. In Klein ISD, when we know, we act.
Although we are thankful that no student received harmful medication, we are deeply sorry that students did not receive the medication prescribed to them. We are taking immediate and long-term steps to enhance the safety and oversight of medication management across all campuses. This includes additional audit procedures and staff training to ensure this type of incident cannot happen again.
Additionally, any family wishing to personally review their child’s medication is, as always, welcome to do so. Please contact Kuehnle Elementary directly at (832) 484-6650 to schedule an appointment.
If you have any questions, please contact the Klein ISD Health Services department at (832) 249-4336. We sincerely appreciate your continued trust in our school health teams and remain unwavering in our commitment to protecting the health and safety of every student in our care.
Sincerely,
Dr. Yvonne Clarke
Director of Health Services
Jennifer Elbert
Principal, Kuehnle Elementary