TYLER, Texas (KLTV/Gray News) – A mom has been arrested after being accused of bringing Jell-O shots to a Christmas party at an elementary school in Texas.
The party was held on Dec. 20, 2024, at Jones Elementary in Tyler, Texas.
According to an affidavit, the assistant principal told a Tyler Independent School District police officer that she believed a parent had brought Jell-O shots to a classroom Christmas party.
Police identified the parent as Teresa Isabel Bernal, 33.
Bernal reportedly told the officer that the Jell-O came from a small sweets shop that is run from a private home.
She said she bought them for her daughter’s fifth-grade Christmas party but said she did not know they contained alcohol.
Bernal told police she noticed the Jell-O was spiked only after the children had eaten some.
The blue, red or green Jell-O was in little cups with whipped cream and strawberries on top of some, the document says.
According to the affidavit, students who ate the Jell-O shots were checked by school nurses.
Police said nearly all of the kids reported having stomach aches and headaches, with one boy saying he threw up twice that day and another claiming he “passed out” after eating six of them.
Another parent said her son was acting oddly when she picked him up from school and also “passed out” on the floor at home.
The affidavit says that about 20 minutes into the party, two teachers also tried the Jell-O and notified the fifth-grade teacher that they thought the cups contained alcohol.
The fifth-grade teacher tried one, but said it was hard to tell. However, she threw away all the remaining Jell-O cups to be safe.
The owners of the sweets shop told police the Jell-O contained vodka, but they thought Bernal had ordered alcoholic shots on purpose and were unaware the order was for a classroom party.
The owners also provided a screen shot of a text from Bernal shortly after the classroom party started, asking if the Jell-O contained alcohol. The owner replied that they did, asked why, and Bernal simply texted back, “kids.”
Lab testing of some Jell-O cups from the party showed that they did in fact contain alcohol.
In further interviews, staff at the school said Bernal was an involved parent who was often present at school functions.
Bernal was booked into the Smith County Jail on Monday on a charge of reckless bodily injury to a child, with bond set at $75,000. She posted bail and was released the same day.
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