Oregon School District Faces Lawsuit After Students Served Oven Cleaner-Seasoned Pretzels
A family is seeking $1 million in damages after their child became ill from consuming a pretzel contaminated with caustic chemicals at Fowler Middle School.
A lawsuit has been filed against the Tigard-Tualatin School District in Oregon, seeking $1 million in damages after more than 50 middle school students were served pretzels seasoned with oven cleaner. The incident occurred in October 2025 during a school lunch at Fowler Middle School.
One student, identified as L.L., experienced burning in his mouth and throat after consuming a pretzel contaminated with crushed Alto-Sham oven cleaner, which contains sodium hydroxide, a highly corrosive chemical. According to the lawsuit, the child was kept in a room for approximately an hour without parents being notified, and was later returned to class after staff claimed he was asymptomatic. However, the student's mother reported he later suffered from a sore throat, stomach pain, and lingering anxiety about eating school food.
The mix-up was discovered by a substitute kitchen worker, Chloe Larson, who tasted the seasoning, felt a burn, and identified the discarded packet as oven cleaner. The lawsuit names the lead kitchen worker and Fowler Middle School Principal Cindy Pellicci as defendants.
Following the discovery, Poison Control was contacted about 27 minutes later, and parents were notified via email approximately two hours after the incident. The school district attributed the error to "human error," and police closed their investigation due to a lack of probable cause.
The lead kitchen worker reportedly initially described the substance as "soap" and explained the incident by stating she was in a rush and had previously crushed the cleaner for use on a steamer but left it on a prep counter. The lawsuit alleges that the school district failed to properly store caustic chemicals away from food, did not adequately train staff, and allowed the cleaner to remain accessible on the prep counter.
The Tigard-Tualatin School District stated it cannot comment on pending litigation but confirmed that the kitchen lead worker remains employed by the district. The district did not respond to further requests for comment.