Prosecutors have searched the homes of eight employees of a private preschool in New Taipei City, which has been accused of giving its students sedatives, while the number of parents who have filed police reports in the case has risen to 17, local authorities said yesterday.
Authorities early yesterday searched the homes of the school principal and seven teachers, who were then taken in for questioning, said the New Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, which is investigating the matter in collaboration with police.
The allegations against the school in Banciao District (板橋) were first made on May 14, when the parents of three students told police that a teacher had given their children some unknown drugs and had used improper physical methods to discipline them.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
In the reports, the parents said that from February to April, they noticed behavioral changes in their children, including extreme irritability and incidents of self-harm.
On May 18, prosecutors searched the school and detained a teacher, surnamed Chao (趙), for questioning, before releasing her on bail of NT$20,000.
Since then, 14 other parents have filed reports with the police, bringing the number to 17 as of yesterday, the New Taipei City Government said.
Twenty-eight of the school’s 67 students have been given drug tests, it said, adding that the results are still pending.
At a news conference last week, a student’s father, surnamed Chiang (江), said he had taken his child to three hospitals for blood and urine tests late last month after the story broke in the media.
On Thursday last week, the blood test results at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital showed the presence of barbiturates, a class of central nervous system depressant drugs used to help people sleep, relieve anxiety and muscle spasms, and to prevent seizures, Chiang said.
Yen Tzung-hai (顏宗海), a nephrologist at the hospital, told reporters that barbiturates are prescription drugs used in hospitals and are classified as Level 3 controlled substances by the Ministry of Justice, meaning they should not be easily accessible to the public.
An overdose of barbiturates can cause respiratory problems and pose a life-threatening risk, Yen said.
The teacher, Chao, who was first accused of sedating the children, has been put on leave as the investigation continues, but the school, which has not been publicly named, remains open.
In a statement yesterday, the New Taipei City Department of Education said the school was already scheduled to close on July 31, as the building’s landlord had opted not to renew the lease.
The department said it was working with parents to get the students enrolled in other schools, and had assembled a team to help the families on an individual basis, including with matters relating to medical treatment and legal advice.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or