The Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office has provided more details the incident at St. Thomas More High School.
On Oct. 9, deputies were called to the school in regards to a potential poisoning of one of its students. The incident occurred at around 1:45 p.m.
LPSO said that one juvenile has been arrested and charged with Aggravated Battery as a result of the investigation.
"Because this case involves multiple juveniles, and remains under investigation, no further information is available at this time," the Sheriff's Office says in a statement.
Multiple parents have reached out to KATC stating that a chemical was put into students drinks. KATC asked LPSO, but they would not confirm details on what occurred.
KATC Investigates obtained the police report that states the property involved in the incident includes one "32 oz plastic bottle containing sodium hydroxide" and one "12 oz plastic bottle."
Sodium hydroxide is commonly referred to as lye.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sodium hydroxide is a white, noncombustible solid that absorbs moisture from the air and can cause severe burns in all tissues that it comes in contact with. When ingested, sodium hydroxide can cause severe corrosive injury to the lips, tongue, oral mucosa, esophagus and stomach.
An internal investigation is also underway at St. Thomas More High School into what the Diocese of Lafayette called a "very serious incident." In a letter to parents, school officials did not elaborate on the incident, but did acknowledge an incident involving three students last week.
Statement released Monday from Diocese of Lafayette Office of Communications:
The Diocese of Lafayette is aware of an incident last week involving three students at St. Thomas More High School. When the incident occurred, the school's administrative team, along with the school resource officer, immediately followed all proper protocols, providing medical care to the students involved and notifying parents and law enforcement, in accordance with Diocesan policy and civil law. Following the school's internal investigation of the incident, necessary disciplinary action was taken.
