School burned boy’s throat after cafeteria served up pretzels dusted with chemical cleaner instead of salt, $1m lawsuit alleges

The parents of a sixth-grade pupil are suing an Oregon school district and staff for $1 million, alleging a school cook put concentrated oven cleaner on pretzels instead of salt. The child suffered burns to his throat, mouth and digestive tract after eating one at Fowler Middle School in October 2025.

The lawsuit says 37 pretzels were contaminated and about 50 pupils ate them. The district called poison control after discovering the problem, while parents were notified by email later that morning. The complaint alleges the boy was kept in a room for more than an hour despite reporting discomfort; the cook told investigators she had mixed up the cleaner while preparing it for use. Police closed their investigation without establishing probable cause.