Federal Lawsuit: Autistic Teen Locked in School Restroom, Mocked, Denied Food

A federal lawsuit alleges that a 13-year-old nonverbal student with autism was locked in a restroom at Hans Christiansen Middle School in Menifee for five and a half hours, taunted, and denied food. The complaint, filed March 6, 2026, names the Menifee Union School District, teacher Lancelot Thomas, and Principal Steven Melvin as defendants.

The suit includes nine allegations, ranging from false imprisonment and negligence to violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The student, identified only as "R.M.B.," was in seventh grade at the school when the incident occurred in 2025. According to the lawsuit, the boy had no access to food during the hours he was confined, and staff members mocked, threatened, and screamed at him, causing serious physical, emotional, and developmental harm.

The boy has since transferred to another school district.

The mother, who is not named in the lawsuit, had noticed behavioral changes in her son in fall 2024, including emotional distress, removing clothing, urinating on the floor, and spitting. She repeatedly contacted the district, the teacher, and the principal, but was told staff did not know the cause of the behavior.

On February 28, 2025, she placed a recording device in her son's backpack. The recording allegedly captured Thomas yelling at the boy shortly after he entered the classroom, asking, "Hey, you wanna go to the restroom?" The lawsuit claims multiple voices were heard entering the restroom to mock or yell at the student, and at one point, two people said they forgot he was there.

When the boy's lunch arrived, a voice allegedly threatened to throw it in the trash. A plastic waste bin in the restroom was broken, leaving sharp pieces on the floor.

Another voice is heard asking, "Hey, are you through? Are you trying to kill yourself?"

Efforts to reach Thomas and Melvin for comment over the past week were unsuccessful. Melvin is listed as principal on the school's website, but Thomas does not appear in the staff directory.

District spokesperson Devina Ortega stated in a June 10, 2026, email that district policy prevents commenting on pending litigation. When asked if Thomas still worked at the school or district, she did not respond.

The district's recent attempt to have the case dismissed failed, and the lawsuit will proceed. The plaintiff seeks financial damages to be determined at trial.

The amended complaint, filed May 14, states: "This case is about a vulnerable child who was supposed to be protected, supported, and educated — but instead was discriminated against, isolated, neglected, harmed and deprived of his constitutional right to liberty and bodily integrity by those meant to teach and nurture him."