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Three First Graders In Alaska Hatched Plot To Poison Fellow Classmate With Silica Gel, Plan Thwarted By Another Student

By John Houck
Published on: 07:58 PST, Mar 30, 2016

A devious plot by three first graders at an elementary school in Anchorage, Alaska, to poison a classmate was uncovered by faculty members. The March 22 plan to hurt the classmate was overheard by another student, who quickly notified a teacher.

Anchorage School District spokeswoman Heidi Embley said many people can’t believe such a plot could be devised by first graders.

“The age is one of things that is most surprising to people who were hearing about this. The kids are at such a young age. Without revealing any information as to what occurred during the investigation, there are a lot of conversations to get an understanding of what actually happened, how the students were feeling.”

According to Embley, the kids likely didn’t even know what they were doing, but the district is continuing their investigation into the incident. No other incidents similar to this one have ever occurred in the district, she added.

As reported by the Alaska Dispatch News, the Winterberry Charter School first graders were planning to use silica gel, a material used to fight moisture in sealed food packages, to poison their classmate. While specific details of the plan have not been determined, one crucial feature of the poison plot was overlooked by the students. Silica gel is nontoxic.

“The students had taken some plastic packets that are inside of a sealed food bag, meant for preservation of the food and say ‘do not consume’ on the packaging, and brought them to school with the intent of putting them in another student’s lunch,” explained Anchorage Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Castro.

She added that even though the first graders believed the sachets were poisonous, they never went through with the plan. Once the elementary school’s resource officer got news of the plot, the Anchorage Police Department was called in to investigate.

Officers interviewed the three first graders, but decided not to file charges, instead leaving disciplinary action up to the school. Winterberry School Principal Shanna Mall also spoke with the students and determined that the plot was real.

Embley said the students are facing punishment, but could not release details. She did say, however, there is a significant possibility that the first graders will be expelled from the school.

ABC News reports that the first graders were girls, and they have been suspended for several days.

“It is important for parents to talk with their children about speaking up when they learn of something that could potentially harm others,” Castro said. “We are thankful for the student that said something to a trusted authority when they learned of the potentially harmful situation to another student.”

The same day the first graders’ poison plot was uncovered, a letter was sent out to parents of children who attend the elementary school. Officials said the district considers student safety a major priority and takes all threats to classmates “very seriously.”

One father who wished to remain anonymous was in shock and disbelief when he got the letter. He said it was inconceivable to him that children this young would envision such a plot.

In another case of kids gone bad, three first graders in Toledo, Ohio, got into trouble for performing sex acts in school last spring. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, police were called to the Rise and Shine Academy on March 18 after a student went to a teacher and reported something “nasty” happening in the bathroom.

Some parents are furious over the Winterberry poison plot, and say suspension is not enough punishment for the first graders.

“Is that the appropriate punishment for a school that has a several-year waiting list to get in?” the father of another first grader asked. “It’s a lottery school, and there is plenty of other kids waiting to get into this school. I don’t think that they deserve to be at this school.”

Currently, there are 405 students waiting to get into Winterberry Charter School, according to the school district.

In the letter, Mall asked parents to direct questions about the first graders’ poison plot to the Anchorage School District. She also urged parents to talk with their children about the incident.

[Photo via Shutterstock]

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