LIVONIA (WWJ) - Snack time at one Metro Detroit elementary school took a turn after a kindergarten student brought Jose Cuervo margarita mix to class and shared the alcoholic beverage with four other students.
Officials at Grand River Academy in Livonia said they immediately contacted the parents of the five students involved after school staff learned of the incident on Thursday, but parents are baffled over how something like this occurred in the first place and what could be done to prevent it in the future.
One of those parents left with questions is Alexis Smith, whose daughter had a Dixie cup filled with the pre-mixed margarita mix. Smith told Fox 2 that her daughter had 4 or 5 sips of the drink.
Another mom, Dominique Zanders, said her daughter was also given a cup of the alcoholic beverage.
"She felt woozy, a little dizzy," Zanders said.
Both of their daughters believed they were getting juice when the student who brought the pre-mixed margaritas began serving it to others during snack time.
"The girl poured it in her cup and she drank it and the girl ended up telling her what it is, and she went and told the teacher there is liquor in this cup, and the teacher gave her a funny face," Zanders said to Fox 2.
According to Zanders, that's when staff found the single-serve mixed drink in the student's backpack.
"I had a small conversation with my daughter - nothing big - and she told me the girl knew it was liquor," Smith said.
The school said after they notified parents, they consulted with poison control in regard to the safety of the children if needed; all five children were physically unharmed.
"While we try to keep an eye on everything our students bring to school, that’s simply not possible," officials said in a statement to parents. "It’s unfortunate that these types of adult beverages can be easily mistaken for child-friendly drinks."
The school said appropriate disciplinary action is being considered against the student, but both Zanders and Smith argue it's not the child's fault, but the parents.
"If your child knows what it is, nothing wrong with it - but they should know not to touch it," Smith said. "That it's not for kids."