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The Fairfax Times reported that the Greenbriar East Elementary School health worker was swapping out the meds with allergy pills.
The Fairfax County Health Department, which employs school health workers, alerted parents through a letter.
“The discrepancy in medication arose from a health department employee diverting medication belonging to students," the letter said, according to NBC4. "We have placed in the employee on administrative leave and are moving to terminate their employment.”
School officials haven't released the nurse's name.
The health department didn't say how long the nurse may have been stealing the medication. Fairfax County police are investigating, the news station reported.
Brett Byrnes, a parent of a second-grader at the school, told NBC4 that his daughter's Adderall prescription was supposed to last her the rest of the school year, but it had already run out. The nurse gave her Claritin instead. Byrnes said the switch affected the girl's performance at school.
“I am angry, right,” he told the news station. “It’s really unfortunate what happened to our kid because she just wants to be the best kid, the nicest kid, the teacher’s pet, and when she’s appropriately medicated … she behaves that way, the way she wants to.”
The health department told the news station that officials would create safeguards to prevent this from happening again.
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