A former Kuehnle Elementary School nurse faces second-degree felony charges after a Harris County grand jury indicted her for allegedly stealing students' prescription ADHD medication and replacing it with over-the-counter pills.
Rachel Hoffman, 37, was arrested Tuesday, Oct. 6, at her home in The Woodlands by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. She faces controlled substance fraud and theft charges, each carrying up to 20 years in prison, according to KPRC 2, which first reported the story.
The case dates to April 2025, when a Kuehnle Elementary parent noticed her twin boys' prescription ADHD medication vanished days after she delivered a fresh 30-day supply. A routine audit revealed one son's bottle was full of Aleve. The other contained loratadine, an over-the-counter allergy medicine.
Klein ISD conducted a second audit and found additional discrepancies. Hoffman was fired.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said prosecutors allege Hoffman was not giving students their prescribed medication but was "effectively giving them placebos." Investigators have not said what she did with the stolen drugs.
"An elementary school nurse who's stealing drugs from kids, it's completely unacceptable," Teare said.
The DA's Public Integrity Unit investigated the case, and a grand jury returned the indictment in September. Teare said his office expects to file additional charges and believes there may be more victims, noting Hoffman worked as a school nurse for several years.
Before joining Klein ISD, Hoffman worked as a nurse at Magnolia ISD for less than two months, from Aug. 1 to Sept. 22, 2023. Hoffman resigned from Magnolia ISD while under investigation. A Magnolia ISD spokesperson told KPRC 2 the district reported its findings to the Texas Board of Nursing, though the specific findings were not disclosed.
Klein ISD said in a statement that Hoffman was "dishonest during the hiring process," failing to disclose her Magnolia ISD employment and related concerns. The district said she passed all required background checks, held a valid nursing license and cleared reference checks for the employers she did list.
As of Thursday, Oct. 8, Hoffman's nursing license remains active. Formal charges were filed with the Texas Board of Nursing in May, but no discipline has been imposed. Teare said his office will communicate directly with the board now that criminal charges are in place.
Hoffman posted a $2,100 bond and was released Wednesday, Oct. 7. An initial court appearance in Harris County had not yet been scheduled. Her defense attorney, David Breston, declined to comment.
Parents who believe their child's medication was affected can contact the DA's Public Integrity Division.
