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Detaining students (who are not minors!)

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octelcogopod

Junior Member
My friend decided to attend a school event called "Grad Nite" on the evening following graduation. Participants must have a signed permission slip stating they they must stay for the full duration of the event (9pm to 5AM) and that they must turn in their wallets for "safekeeping". My friend was very tried and decided to leave. Unfortunately, they would not let him leave unless a parent picked him up. The problem is that my friend is 18, so his mom assumed that he would be free to leave whenever he wanted (she signed his permission slip). A chaperon and a security guard harassed him and forced him to sit outside for over an hour while he tried to reach his mom. My friend repeatedly mentioned that he is a legal adult and that they have no right to hold him there (they were refusing to return his wallet). Eventually he reached his mom and got a ride home from her (but she took sleeping medication not knowing that she would have to drive, so they were both put in a dangerous situation regarding that). As I understand it, they had no right to force him to stay. Does in loco parentis apply if he is a legal adult? He did not sign the permission slip.

What legal recourse does my friend have? Other students (also legal adults) reported similar cases that night, some of which involved physical force by the security guards. My friend had a security guard (just a guy with a flashlight) watching over him while he was outside. He was explicitly told that if he tried to walk away he would be physically restrained and then handed over to the police. My friend is a skinny guy and was definitely intimidated.

This occurred in California.
 
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