Education Ministry denies kindergarten poisoning reports at Rafic Hariri public school

BEIRUT — Lebanon's Education Ministry on Wednesday dismissed social media claims that several kindergarten students at Rafic Hariri public school in Aramoun, Mount Lebanon, had been poisoned with rat poison.

In a statement aimed at "clarifying the incident," the ministry said three 4-year-old children were found by a teacher playing with rat poison pellets in the schoolyard near a flower bed. The principal immediately took the children to a hospital for precautionary tests. "The test results showed that the students are in good health, as confirmed by the forensic doctor before their release," the statement said. A source close to the ministry emphasized that "the children did not ingest the rat poison; they merely played with it."

Rafic Hariri High School had hired a pest control company during the summer break and began removing all products at the start of the school year. However, some pellets were apparently left behind. The ministry said it is monitoring the situation closely and that Education Minister Rima Karameh would soon issue a circular to school administrators to prevent similar incidents.

The statement follows Facebook posts by user Mirna Itani Sleiman on Tuesday, who criticized authorities over what she described as a "catastrophe" and condemned "the negligence of the school for leaving rat poison around the classrooms" and its alleged "attempt to cover up the case," which, she warned, could prompt parents to file complaints. Sleiman claimed that "according to sources close to the parents, four children were hospitalized at Bchamoun Specialty Hospital, one of whom was placed in intensive care, while other students were taken to other hospitals."

Contacted by L'Orient Today, the hospital operator confirmed that all students had returned home after visiting the emergency room. School officials could not be reached for comment.