Oregon Family Seeks $950,000 After School Cafeteria Served Oven Cleaner Pretzels

An Oregon school district faces a $950,220.85 lawsuit over a cafeteria error that put concentrated oven cleaner on snack food.

The complaint, filed by the family of a Fowler Middle School student on September 11, 2026, alleges the district's lead cafeteria worker crushed an Alto-Sham tablet on October 20, 2025. The product contains sodium hydroxide, an industrial chemical. The lawsuit states about 37 pretzels were served during the sixth grade lunch period and more than 50 students ate portions of them. The student named in the complaint reported burning in his mouth and throat, chest pain, and an upset stomach after eating one.

The timeline rests on the complaint's account of the kitchen activity and the school's response. The filing alleges the head cook crushed the cleaning tablet and left it in the food preparation area. A substitute cafeteria worker later noticed the contaminated pretzels. The complaint states the head cook then said the powder was soap and discarded the wrapper. A coworker told police the powder differed in appearance from salt, according to the document. The district has characterized the episode as an honest error by an employee working under time pressure.

The filing also alleges a delay in medical attention. School staff kept the boy in a separate room for about an hour to evaluate him, the complaint states. The school called his mother roughly two hours after the incident and reported he had no symptoms before returning him to class, according to the filing. The family says that timing and those statements kept them from taking him to a doctor immediately to treat chemical burns.

The district named in the suit declined to comment on the pending litigation. The family filed the complaint last month seeking $950,220.85 in damages. No trial date is listed in the material reviewed for this report.