Teen Poisoned Teacher’s Coffee, Deputies Say

SPRING HILL, FL — A 13-year-old girl faces criminal charges after Pasco County Sheriff’s deputies say she tried to poison her teacher with sidewalk chalk.

According to the agency, the incident occurred at the Achieve Center of Pasco in Spring Hill around 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 16. The girl, who is from Dade City, was charged in the case Tuesday, Sept. 20.

Deputies say the teen, who is not being identified by Patch due to her age, took a piece of beige sidewalk chalk and crushed it into powder form. She is then accused of distracting her teacher by asking her about a family photo. When the teacher’s attention was diverted, the girl put the powdered chalk into the teacher's red coffee cup, an arrest report states.

Right after placing the powder in the coffee, the report said the girl’s bus was called and she “rapidly exited the building.”

Before the teacher could drink the coffee, deputies say, another student spoke up to prevent that from happening. That student later told deputies the girl had said she hated the teacher “on multiple occasions,” the report notes.

The 13-year-old was charged with poisoning food or water to kill or injure a person.

The Achieve Center of Pasco is run by the Pasco County school district. The middle and high school campus serves students with emotional and behavioral disorders.

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