Mother Sues School District After Disabled Son Nearly Drowns in Pool

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 09:38:00 +0200

A 4-year-old boy with disabilities was found unresponsive in a pool at Lincoln Elementary School in Ontario, California, leading to a lawsuit filed by his mother. The child, who is nonverbal, autistic, and has spina bifida and hydrocephalus, requires constant one-on-one supervision as outlined in his individualized education plan. On December 12, 2025, the boy, identified as J.M. in court documents, was left unsupervised near two pools without flotation devices, which resulted in him nearly drowning. A teacher’s aide had been away for 10 minutes when the child was found in the pool. His teacher admitted she should have stayed with him but was in the classroom during the incident. After the near-drowning, the district transferred J.M. to a different school without his mother’s knowledge. The mother claims the school failed to follow her instructions to prevent her son from participating in pool activities. Since the incident, J.M. has shown signs of PTSD, cognitive issues, and fear of b