Eden Prairie preschool employee under investigation for giving gummies to children

Eden Prairie police are investigating allegations that a preschool teacher at Jardin Spanish Immersion Academy gave gummies to children in her care without parental consent, according to a search warrant filed Wednesday, April 9, in Hennepin County District Court.

The investigation began after a March 28 report involving an employee at the academy, located at 14200 Martin Drive in Eden Prairie. The preschool said the employee, who has not been charged, was placed on administrative leave.

“We take these allegations very seriously and immediately launched an internal investigation into the matter as soon as we learned of it,” the statement from the preschool read. “We have also reported the issue to the Department of Health and are fully cooperating with law enforcement’s investigation.”

The Eden Prairie Police Department confirmed the investigation remains ongoing.

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According to the warrant application, officers responded to a call from the academy after parents reported their children had received gummies before nap time. Several children described the gummies as bluish-purple, gumdrop-shaped, and coated with white sugar. The children told their parents they were instructed not to tell anyone.

Parents reported that their children, some of whom don’t usually nap, appeared unusually sleepy that day.

In a March 31 interview with police, the employee allegedly acknowledged giving gummies to the class but said it only happened once, after nap time, and claimed the gummies were Welch’s Fruit Snacks and did not contain melatonin.

Surveillance footage viewed by a police investigator and an academy administrator reportedly showed the employee on March 27 removing something from her pocket and handing it to a child, who placed it in their mouth. The exchange occurred on the outdoor playground before nap time.

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The warrant also states that providing consumable items to children without parental consent would violate the academy’s policies. Investigators sought the school’s surveillance footage, a video player capable of viewing it, and the employee’s personnel records, including any complaints or disciplinary actions.

In response to questions from Eden Prairie Local News, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) confirmed it is aware of the police investigation at Jardin Spanish Immersion Academy and is conducting a separate maltreatment inquiry.

Because of data privacy laws, the department declined to say whether the maltreatment investigation is connected to the incident described in the search warrant. The facility’s license remains active and is not under conditional or provisional status, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services’ Licensing Lookup site. Once the investigation is complete, the findings will be published there.

In its statement, the preschool emphasized its commitment to safety, saying, “The safety and care of our students is our absolute highest priority, and any conduct that compromises that commitment is contrary to our values, our policies, and our community. When we have reason to believe a member of our team is falling short of that standard, we will take immediate and effective corrective action.”

As of Thursday, April 10, no charges had been filed in the case.