NISD says a teacher accidentally distributed alcoholic drinks to students. One student, who took cough syrup before school, was taken to the hospital.
SAN ANTONIO — What was meant to be an end-of-year treat turned into a serious mistake at a San Antonio middle school, after a teacher unknowingly handed out alcoholic beverages to students.
Northside Independent School District (NISD) confirms a special education teacher at Pease Middle School brought seven cans of Hard Mountain Dew Baja Blast — an alcoholic drink with 5% alcohol content — and distributed them to students in three different classes during a celebration on the last day of school.
Five students consumed the drinks, including a 7th grade student with asthma who later became drowsy and confused. His father, Aaron Corso, says he wasn’t notified until 4:15 p.m., hours after the incident occurred during third period.
“We couldn’t believe it. We were like, ‘What the hell?!’” Corso said. “I asked, ‘What time did this start?’ They said between 10:30 and 11. That was really confusing to me—why wait so long to call?”
Corso says his son drank nearly half of a yellow pineapple-flavored can, unaware it was alcoholic. He believes a combination of the beverage and cough medicine taken earlier in the day contributed to his son’s symptoms.
“He said it tasted a little different, but he doesn’t drink soda often, so he didn’t think much of it,” Corso explained.
The school nurse saw all five students as soon as administrators were alerted around 2:30 p.m. According to Corso, his son is now doing fine, but he’s calling for accountability.
“If I ended up going to the school and gave booze to minors on school property, I would be locked up,” Corso said. “Our kids can’t bring cupcakes from HEB for birthday parties. Why are people allowed to bring this stuff in, unchecked, and give it to children?”
He says he tried to file a police report but was told the incident is being handled internally by NISD. The district has not confirmed whether the teacher will face disciplinary action but stated a report will be filed with Child Protective Services.
Experts say alcoholic beverages like Hard Mountain Dew are especially dangerous for children due to their brightly colored packaging, fruity flavors, and branding similar to regular sodas. According to the National Capital Poison Center, accidental alcohol ingestion in children can lead to low blood sugar, confusion, seizures, and even coma in severe cases.
If a child accidentally consumes alcohol, call Poison Control immediately at 1-800-222-1222.