Oregon family sues school district after students served pretzels seasoned with oven cleaner

Mixed · 2A family has sued the Tigard-Tualatin School District in Oregon, alleging that more than 50 middle school students were served pretzels seasoned with crushed oven cleaner at Fowler Middle School in Tigard. 1 2 Mixed · 2According to the complaint, 37 pretzels coated with the caustic cleaner, which contains sodium hydroxide, were served to sixth-graders at lunch on October 20, 2025. The Independent gives the product name as Alto-Cham and the New York Post as Alto-Sham. 1 2 Left · 1District records obtained by Fox 12 show more than 50 students ate all or part of the affected pretzels. 1

Mixed · 2The lawsuit names the district, the lead kitchen worker and Principal Cindy Pellicci as defendants. It claims strict liability, negligence, unlawful confinement and civil rights violations, and the Independent reports it seeks up to $950,220.85 (the Post rounds this to $1 million). 1 2 Mixed · 2The student at the centre of the suit, identified as L.L., ate a pretzel and immediately felt burning in his mouth and throat. The Independent adds chest pain and an upset stomach. 1 2 Mixed · 2The suit alleges he was kept in a room for about an hour without his parents being told, then sent back to class after staff said he was asymptomatic. He came home with a sore throat and stomach pain, and his mother says he has lingering anxiety about eating at school. 1 2

Mixed · 2The complaint says substitute kitchen worker Chloe Larson noticed the seasoning and pushed the lead kitchen worker to investigate. Staff allegedly contacted poison control roughly half an hour (the Post says 27 minutes) after realising what had happened, and families were notified nearly two hours later. The Independent adds that Larson was allegedly interviewed only after she contacted police. 1 2 Right · 1The Post reports the lead worker first described the seasoning to administrators as "soap" and said she was in a rush and had earlier crushed the cleaner for use on a steamer but left it out. 2 Mixed · 2The suit accuses the district of failing to store caustic chemicals away from food, failing to train staff, and leaving crushed cleaner on a counter where it was used as seasoning. 1 2

Mixed · 2The district attributed the incident to "human error", saying a kitchen worker thought the cleaner was salt. Tigard Police reviewed the case and filed no charges, as they could not establish probable cause; the Independent adds they had no kitchen photos or video. 1 2 Mixed · 2The district told KPTV it cannot comment on pending litigation. The Post says it confirmed the lead kitchen worker is still employed and did not respond to the Post's own request for comment. 2 1