Texas mom arrested after alcoholic Jell-O shots brought to 5th-grade daughter’s Christmas party

A Texas mother has been arrested after she reportedly brought alcohol-infused Jell-O shots to her 5th-grade daughter’s Christmas party.

Police charged Teresa Isabel Bernal, 33, with felony injury to a child from the Dec. 20 incident at Jones Elementary School in Tyler, Texas, KETK-TV reported. 

Bernal purchased the shots from a home business she found on Facebook, the arrest affidavit states. The business has a clear disclaimer the shots are made with Smirnoff vodka, police documents show. 

The shots were tested and found to contain alcohol. 

Fifteen students consumed the shots, which were placed on a table with other snacks, with most reporting “stomach aches and headaches” after consuming them. One student vomited twice, and his mother said he was acting oddly and “‘passed out’ on the floor at home.”

Another student who reportedly consumed six shots told police he “got dizzy and fell and felt like he could not get back on his feet.” 

Once teachers and staff determined the shots contained alcohol, all affected children were sent to the nurse’s office, leaving just four pupils in the classroom.

Bernal told Tyler School District Police she didn’t know the shots had alcohol but acknowledged “they do taste different.”

During an investigation, teachers said they didn’t think Bernal would bring anything harmful to school since she was an involved parent who attended many school functions.

Police also interviewed the home-based business that made the shots, obtaining screenshots of a text thread between Bernal and the owner.

“Bernal asks the owner if the shots contain alcohol. The owner texted back that the shots do have alcohol and asked why. Bernal simply said ‘kids,’” the affidavit says. 

“In my opinion, there is no way Bernal could have missed the fact that the Jell-O shots she purchased … and brought to her daughter’s 5^th-grade Christmas party contained drinking alcohol,” the affidavit reads. 

The mom posted $75,000 bond on the day she was arrested. It was not yet clear if she has an attorney, NBC reported.  

The school system acknowledged the arrest and said it has not allowed Bernal back on campus since the incident. 

“We take this matter very seriously and remain committed to the safety and well-being of our students,” the district of some 18,000 students said in a statement. 

“What is wrong with people?!” posted one user on X. 

“It’s time to go back to Little House on the Prairie style of schooling,” another wrote in a reference to homeschooling.