While I understand the sentiment and all, if this was “locking me in”, it’d be a really shitty job of it. I know it’s Cali, but you’d think at least someone there was strong enough to move a plastic banquet table and press the panic bar on a door…. Or hell, just step over the table. Am I missing something?
Plausible deniability. Put up appearances of things being locked then later claim "it wasn't really locked". The students later walked out on their own.