Well, that’s one way to quiet a child

And another one for the “practically unbelievable” files! An Ohio daycare center, church affiliated, no less, allegedly “quieted” some of the children by drugging them with doses of the supplement melatonin, which is often used as a sleep aid. As you can imagine, some parents have filed a lawsuit against the daycare center and its owner, the Springfield Township’s Covenant Apostolic Church.

The lawsuit cites negligence as well as battery. There were 37 children enrolled at the daycare facility, and not all of the children were given the supplement. Melatonin is a dietary supplement and not a prescription medication, but it does have such possible side effects as dizziness, confusion, and headaches. The lawsuit does not state that any of the children were afflicted by the side effects but emphasizes instead that the supplement is dangerous and given to the children without authorization.

The investigation broke when a daycare employee saw a supervisor putting something into the candy fed to the children prior to nap time. For the full story, go here.

This was posted on Friday, December 18th, 2009 and is filed in the Legal, Public Safety categories.