A mother of a 12-year-old autistic and non-verbal boy has filed a lawsuit against Baltimore County Public Schools, alleging a former teacher and classroom aide secretly administered melatonin to special-needs students for weeks without parental knowledge or consent.
Named as defendants are Baltimore County Public Schools, a former teacher, a classroom aide, and a school principal. According to the complaint, students in a classroom at Maiden Choice School, which serves children ages 3 to 12 with special needs, were given the sleep aid for at least two months beginning around September 2024. The lawsuit alleges parents were unaware of what was happening until a whistleblower came forward and reported concerns.
The boy's mother says she had several conversations with the teacher about her son's care, including discussions in which the teacher suggested using melatonin. According to the lawsuit, the mother expressly rejected the idea because her son was already following a medication regimen prescribed by his doctor. Court filings allege the teacher and aide later administered melatonin to the child and other students in the classroom despite those objections.
The suit claims the children experienced serious physical and behavioral effects, including nosebleeds, loss of motor functioning, anger, confusion, and insomnia. Court filings further allege the students suffered educational, cognitive, and medical setbacks as a result of being given melatonin without their parents' knowledge or consent.
According to the filings, school administrators repeatedly observed an entire classroom asleep during the school day over a period of roughly six weeks. Despite those observations, administrators allegedly took no action to determine why the students were sleeping or whether they had been given medication. The complaint also states the principal later withdrew earlier statements acknowledging she had noticed students sleeping during class.
Schools generally require parental consent before administering medication or supplements to students, particularly those receiving specialized educational and medical services. The lawsuit claims those safeguards were bypassed.
Baltimore County Public Schools has asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing the district should not be held liable for the alleged actions of a former employee. The principal has similarly argued she should not be held liable because the complaint does not contain specific allegations showing she acted negligently.
The family argues that the actions of the teacher, classroom aide, school administrators, and the district amounted to assault, negligence, and violations of the child's civil rights.
No criminal charges have been filed in connection with the allegations.
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