A school in Texas is doing damage control after kids became sick from eating cookies made by a staff member. The incident took place at Owen Goodnight Middle School in San Marcos, and the school wasted no time making sure everyone had been alerted to what had happened. The employee, who has not been identified, allegedly sold the cookies to students, which is against school rules. Kids then claimed to not feel well, and they all blamed the cookies.
Now, the staff member may be fired, and the cookies are being investigated by law enforcement. But right now, there are no clear answers.
The school responded quickly.
Owen Goodnight Middle School Principal Joe Mitchell shared a letter to parents on May 5, 2026, informing them of what took place that day.
“At this time, we have learned that a staff member sold cookies to students,” Mitchell wrote in the letter. “Following consumption, several students reported feeling unwell. Four students have confirmed purchasing and consuming the cookies and were seen in the nurse’s office for evaluation.”
He explained that the “situation” had been reported to both school administration and the San Marcos Police Department. He then assured families the school is “cooperating fully with all necessary reviews to ensure a thorough investigation.”
“The staff member involved has been removed from the district. Any further personnel actions will be taken in accordance with district policy and findings,” the letter added.
This isn’t something being taken lightly.
Mitchell went on to reiterate that student safety is a top priority for school administration, and they were doing everything they could. “We are taking this matter very seriously and are reinforcing expectations that staff members are prohibited from selling or distributing personal food items to students at any time.”
Parents were warned to keep an eye on their children if they had consumed the cookies and told that if they weren’t feeling well, they should be seen by a doctor. But the principal also asked that parents let the school know if their child was unwell so they could continue to monitor the situation.
“We understand this information may be concerning, and we appreciate your patience and support as we address the situation,” his letter concluded.
One child who reportedly felt sick had no significant symptoms.
Lisa McClellan’s grandson attends Owen Goodnight Middle School and ate one of the staff member’s cookies, she told Fox 7. The boy told her he didn’t feel well. “I said, okay, if you were sick, how were you sick?” she shared.
But the boy couldn’t give her a solid answer. “He goes, I don’t know, I just didn’t feel good,” she said.
She explained that her grandson didn’t have any clear symptoms. “He couldn’t explain anything, like he wasn’t throwing up,” she said, adding that he wasn’t feeling nauseous and didn’t have a headache.
McClellan checked in with the boy again later, and to her, nothing seemed off. “He wasn’t giggling, he wasn’t high, he wasn’t acting off the wall, he was not hungry,” she told Fox 7.
Even though some kids felt sick, the feeling wasn’t universal.
Another parent spoke with Fox 7, saying her son had bought cookies from the staff member more than once and never reported any issues.
“They’re just homemade cookies with icing and a filling,” the parent said. “I was raving about how great they were to my girlfriends. I was like, ‘man, these are so good, hats off to the baker,’ whoever baked them.”
Everyone was talking about the kids who got sick from the cookies, and McClellan wondered if maybe those conversations had affected her grandson.
“He’s, like, well, maybe, maybe I guess, you know, maybe I just didn’t feel good at the moment and all I could think of was the cookies because everybody was talking about the cookies,” she said.
According to Fox 7, the cookies are now in the hands of local law enforcement for testing.
