A WORRIED mother says she has been unable to sleep after her young son was reportedly forced take a 'pill disguised as a smartie' at school.
Kayleigh Wren, 34, from Kirby Cross, sends her son, 11, to Tendring Technology College’s Thorpe-le-Soken campus in Landermere Road.
Last Tuesday, the Year 7 pupil arrived home in tears after allegedly being made to eat an unknown pill by a fellow student, despite refusing a number of times.
After taking the tablet, which he was told was a Smartie, the boy, who has ADHD, is said to have experienced a loss of appetite, dizziness, a tight chest and dry mouth, and overwhelming feelings of nausea.
After realising what had happened, she immediately rushed him to hospital, where he underwent a series of tests, before reporting the incident to police.
"It was definitely a pill of some sort and my son realised when he bit into it and it crumbled with no chocolate so he spat it out," said Kayleigh.
“The pupil was still adamant they gave my son a sweet but then said it was an ibuprofen pill, which cannot be taken by someone under 12 anyway.
“My son takes lots of medication so we do not know if he felt the effects of the pill or if he had an anxiety attack.
“But he was sent back to class. The school failed my son."
Kayleigh has now issued a warning to other parents and carers.
She added: “Please educate your children not to take things off other people and not to disguise pills as sweets.
“This could have been so much worse than it was and I am disgusted that this could even happen – I have not slept due to the anxiety and worry.”
Bosses at Tendring Technology College have now responded to Kayleigh's concerns.
A spokeswoman said: “We take our responsibilities to safeguard our pupils extremely seriously, and work hard to make TTC a safe, warm, and welcoming place for everyone.
"We agree this type of behaviour is completely unacceptable and while it wouldn’t be appropriate for us to provide specific details about individual pupils, we can confirm that we have investigated this incident fully and taken appropriate action."
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