Parents are taking legal action against a daycare in Western Washington after they claim employees drugged their children to keep them sedated during naptime. The lawsuit accuses the owners of Little Hands Big Hearts Early Learning in Lynnwood, of giving Benedryl to kids before putting them down for naps, according to documents obtained by KOMO.
The suit, which was filed on November 21 in Snohomish County, claims parents learned about the alleged drugging on September 21 while waiting for their kids to wake up from their naps. According to the filing, parents heard one child say another kid "spits out his purple medicine at nap time." They later asked the kids about whether they received any "purple candy" or "purple medicine" before sleeping, and they allegedly said yes.
The parents then reported Littles Hands to the Washington State Department of Children Youth and Families and the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, court documents state. The daycare was shut down on September 22 pending the investigation from both agencies.
The same day Little Hands was closed, several kids attending the daycare had their hair tested, the lawsuit states. The test results showed all the children had high levels of Diphenhydramine, also known as Benadryl, in their systems, the filing reads. The drug is a common allergy relief medicine known to cause drowsiness as a side effect.
Now, the parents are suing the owners of Little Hands for negligence and other damages.