Apology of the Day: S.C. College Sorry for Giving Kids ‘Happy Pills’

A staff member at Horry Georgetown Technical College in South Carolina decided to promote her medical technology program by giving young kids fake drugs, and parents are not happy.

At a family event over the weekend, she handed out pill bottles full of M&Ms, labeled “Happy Pills,” with directions that read: “Take 1 M&M every 2 to 4 hours. May refill 5 times by 2/13/2016.”

Talk about a sugar high…

A friend of one of the parents posted the above image to Facebook, asking if other’s thought this was ok.

“I know for a fact if I was at that event I would have made my opinion very clear to anyone within earshot!” Karen Goad Williams wrote.

The school apologized Monday on Facebook.

“While we know this professor meant the candy to serve as a treat, the method of distribution may have confused pre-school children whose parents have taught them not to take pills from pharmaceutical bottles,” they wrote. “We regret further that professors and administrators are human and, although eager to share information about growing careers, sometimes make mistakes.”

The school also emphasized that it has a series of lectures about drug and alcohol dependency, with Meredith Baxter from “Family Ties” scheduled speaking at the school on February 26.

Commenters on the post don’t seem to think that’s enough.

“This is appalling, and as a parent of three children I consider this teacher’s behavior negligent,” writes one commenter on Facebook. “She teaches a class having to do with medication, then she should be educated enough not to hand out medication bottle with candy in it.”