Inset: Melatonin gummies (WBAL/YouTube). Background: The Maryland school where a teacher allegedly fed special needs students melatonin at the start of each day (WBAL/YouTube).
A Maryland public school teacher secretly fed her special needs students melatonin at the start of each day, a lawsuit claims — alleging that her "entire class was found sleeping" multiple times.
The mother of a 12-year-old nonverbal boy with autism says her son's class at Maiden Choice School in the Baltimore County Public Schools district "was medically assaulted and battered by the unbeknownst drugging of melatonin," according to her legal complaint, which was obtained by Law&Crime.
"[The boy] suffered severe blood loss through bloody noses, blood in his mouth, and frequent blood clotting requiring medical attention, and has shown a lack of motor functioning, uncontrolled emotions, including anger and confusion, and has developed a form of insomnia," the complaint alleges, noting how the mother's child is now "unable to regulate his own sleep schedule" as a direct result.
"The minor child is said to have been orally provided each morning for a period of at least two months melatonin (hormone adjuster that regulates and promotes sleep) at the beginning of each day," the complaint says. "[The child] suffered significant cognitive and behavioral setbacks in his already existing treatment and condition."
The complaint alleges that the teacher's "entire class was found sleeping midday, daily and consistently." School staff, including the principal and assistant principal, allegedly allowed the woman's son and other students with cognitive disabilities to be given melatonin by refusing to report it, the complaint says.
A "whistleblower" who worked at the school eventually came forward and made a complaint, which led to the teacher's placement on administrative leave, per the complaint.
Criminal charges have not been filed against the teacher or anyone else involved. While Baltimore County Public Schools officials have declined to comment on the allegations and lawsuit, they have confirmed that the teacher being sued is no longer employed by the district.
The principal, who is also named as a defendant, is still listed as head of Maiden Choice School on the school's website.