Middle School health tech stole students’ prescription meds, replaced them with aspirin

Yesterday, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) with headquarters in Destin, Florida, announced that a school health technician employed at Destin Middle School was charged on December 1 with stealing prescription medication from several students – and in some instances, replacing their meds with aspirin or Aleve.

Officials have charged 27-year old Makayla Crandall of Niceville with three counts of grand theft of a controlled substance, five counts of child neglect, and one count of failure to maintain narcotics records.

Crandall was hired by the school in July 2022.  In late September, a child who visits Crandall daily for medication administration started noticing a difference in the color and imprint of her pills and mentioned it to her mother. Her mother in turn says she had observed distinct differences in her child’s behavior.

After it was reported, the OCSO School Resource Officer and school employees forced entry into the cabinet and conducted an audit on October 4. The audit revealed at least 110 missing amphetamine/dexmethylphenidate pills from at least five students. One bottle contained an Aleve pill and another had seven pills later identified as aspirin. ~ OCSO

The investigation revealed that around the same September/October timeframe, two other parents say they had become concerned after noticing a resurfacing of behavioral issues with their children. During the audit, one of those student’s medication bottles was found to contain aspirin, which the parent says the student is not to be administered.

The mother of a third victim says she dropped off a bottle of Adderall for her daughter September 29th but had to take her to the emergency room October 4 due to her erratic, unusual behavior.

Investigators say Crandall had sole possession of the key to the medicine cabinet. She claimed to have a valid prescription for Adderall, but no prescription could be found in law enforcement databases. Crandall was also unable to explain how student medications were missing or had been switched out.

Also yesterday, the Okaloosa County School District released the following statement:

A contracted healthcare employee serving as the Health Technician at Destin Middle School has been arrested by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office following an investigation into improper handling of student medication. Okaloosa County School District (OCSD) Leadership was notified by Destin Middle School Principal Dr. Belinda Small over a parent concern regarding the handling of a student’s medication on Monday, October 3rd, after school hours.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Children and Families, and Aveanna Healthcare, which provides employees to oversee the District’s school clinic operations, were all notified by OCSD leadership immediately after they became aware of the concern.

On Tuesday, October 4th, the individual was removed from the position and was not allowed to return to the school while law enforcement conducted its investigation. “As Superintendent, I am appalled by the allegations,” said Marcus Chambers.

“We will work with authorities to ensure this individual, if guilty, is punished to the fullest extent of the law. We fully supported the efforts by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office throughout the investigation and have mandated that Aveanna put in place additional checks and balances with regard to dispensing student medicine in our school clinics. Parents should have absolute confidence that their child’s visit to the school clinic is handled professionally and accurately. Aveanna has been a good healthcare partner over a number of years and acted swiftly in this matter to address the District’s concerns.”

(Source and Makayla Crandall Booking Photo: OCSO)         )

Posted by Richard Webster  Ace News Today   /   Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter