Teacher Gave Special Needs Student Sleep Medicine Without Permission
A lawsuit claims a teacher at a Baltimore County school drugged an autistic student with melatonin for two months.
The student went to Maidens Choice School in Catonsville. This school helps children with learning disabilities who are between 3 and 12 years old. The teacher and her helpers gave the boy melatonin each morning. Melatonin is a medicine that helps people sleep.
In September 2024, the school told the student's mother what had happened. They said they were looking into the problem. The teacher was sent home and could not work while they investigated. School leaders say they did not know about the medicine until someone reported it.
The lawsuit says giving the student melatonin without permission was like attacking him. It claims the boy got sick and had problems learning because of the medicine. His health got worse and he had trouble thinking clearly. The family says this hurt the boy's education and was unfair because of his disability.
The medicine made the student very sick. He had bad nosebleeds that would not stop and needed to see a doctor. His blood was not clotting properly, which is dangerous. He also had trouble moving normally and could not control his emotions.
The student allegedly suffered severe blood loss due to bloody noses and blood clotting that required medical attention.
Comprehension quiz preview
1. How long did the teacher give the student melatonin?
2. What ages of students does Maidens Choice School serve?
3. When did the school tell the mother about the incident?