And now for the latest in classroom management

 There are better ways to quiet a class

A federal lawsuit was just filed.  The suit alleges that a teacher of children with significant cognitive disabilities gave her class over-the-counter melatonin.  A whistleblower at Maiden Choice Elementary school in Baltimore County alerted a parent that the teacher and her aides were giving the kids melatonin, an OTC hormone that is designed to promote sleep. Significantly disabled students were noticed with heads down on their desks sleeping!!  At this point no criminal charges have been filed.  Initially, the parent was told that the accused teacher was placed on leave and that “no further actions were taken”.   Since that time, the County has said the teacher no longer works for Baltimore County schools.  It is unclear whether the teacher was terminated by the County or resigned herself.

The suit was first filed in State court but because the basis of the suit is the 14^th amendment to the US Constitution, the case was transferred to federal court.  The lawsuit is against the teacher, the school principal, and Baltimore County Public Schools.  The lawsuit does say that Baltimore County investigated the situation but does not say what the result of that investigation was.  Staff at Maiden Choice are mandated by law to report any suspected child abuse to Child Protective Services.  It is not clear if any staff made such a report.

Baltimore County is arguing that the family has no claim against the principal or the County schools because they never engaged in the behavior for which the teacher is accused.  The other question is whether the teacher’s actions were a crime.  Baltimore County State’s Attorney has indicated he is not sure what charges may apply for any criminal behavior on the part of the teacher based on what he knew about the case.  The police department is also saying it was not aware of the alleged incidents.  Since the alleged behavior on the part of the teacher happened in 2024, the statue of limitation would have expired.  

With all of the concerns, and with no one taking responsibility, the overriding question is “didn’t anyone notice a class of sleeping children in the middle of the day”.  There are better ways to quiet a class.  Is it too much to expect someone noticing?