TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The principal and eight teachers accused of administering sedatives to children at a New Taipei City preschool will not be charged after tests did not find any evidence of harmful drugs, prosecutors decided Wednesday (July 12).
Parents of the pupils at the private English-language school in Banqiao District began reporting behavioral changes in their children to the police in May. As a result, prosecutors raided the homes of the teachers in early June, with the school fined and facing closure.
However, hair follicle tests conducted on 37 pupils in late June failed to find barbiturates or other drugs harmful to children, despite the positive results of earlier blood tests conducted at the parents’ behest. Prosecutors said their recent tests used a more precise method, excluding false positives.
The New Taipei District Prosecutors Office concluded Wednesday that even though the school removed surveillance cameras in April, teachers reportedly followed proper procedures in administering medicine according to their prescriptions, per CNA.
The suspects denied the allegations made by the parents, including accusations that they used improper methods to discipline children. Prosecutors said there was no evidence of such disciplinary methods, with no mention by students or parents, and no recorded video footage of such behavior.
After the prosecutors' announcement, some parents were reportedly contemplating demanding a new investigation into the affair. The New Taipei City Government on the other hand said it would rescind its administrative sanctions against the school. After the case came into the open, the city revoked a license and issued a NT$150,000 (US$4,800) fine.
The allegations against the school were also seen as damaging New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih’s (侯友宜) campaign as the presidential candidate for the Kuomintang (KMT). The scandal is believed to have contributed to his decline in the opinion polls, slipping into third place behind Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chair Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), with Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) maintaining his lead.
