Three first-grade students at a charter school in Anchorage, Alaska have been suspended for allegedly plotting to poison and kill a fellow classmate.
The principal at Winterberry Charter School confirmed the “multi-day” suspension of three girls, who were accused of scheming to use silica packets as poison.
The plan became public after another student learned of the idea and informed the school, which then sent a letter to parents on March 22 notifying them of the incident.
“My first reaction was definitely shock,” said one father in an interview with KTUU in Anchorage. He did not want to be identified.
“I just couldn’t believe that some children as young as they were, first grade, could come up with something like this.”
The note from the school read, “Three students in the class were planning on using the silica gel packets (these are not actually poison, but the students believed they were) from their lunchtime seaweed to poison and kill another student.”
Silica gel usually comes in the form of round balls in a paper or cloth packet, which are commonly used to maintain freshness in the packaging of food or clothing.
According to the Illinois Poison Center, “Silica gel is chemically inert and is considered to be non-toxic.”
The concern with silica packets is their size, which can become a choking hazard if swallowed.
“We’re grateful that that student was able to speak up and obviously at such a young age,” said Jennifer Castro, spokeswoman for the Anchorage Police Department.
“The good news here is that another student learned about this plan or intention, and as soon as they learned of it, they immediately notified the teacher, their parents, and the principal, which is then how we were notified.”
Police have investigated the incident, but said no charges would be laid, instead leaving punishment up to the school.
But some parents are upset, saying that the discipline doesn’t go far enough.
“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.”
According to the Anchorage School District, Winterberry Charter School has a waiting list of 405.
Police remain happy no one was seriously hurt, and urge parents to use the incident as a safety lesson for children.
“Teach your kids that if they hear something like this, something where someone intends to do harm to someone else that they should tell someone that they trust right away,” Castro said.
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