Principal wants to clear up misconceptions of 'isolation rooms'
»Play Video
PORTLAND, Ore. – The isolation rooms in public schools that have become so controversial since a woman posted pictures of one of them on Facebook not only vary from state to state but also from school to school in what they look like and how they're used.
KATU broke this story when it showed the pictures of the small padded room at Mint Valley Elementary School that a concerned parent posted. The photos created a huge debate about the treatment of disruptive students. While some say the room can be beneficial if used properly, others call it cruel and inhumane.
Four Corners School, in the Reynolds School District, specializes in instruction for children with behavioral problems.
The school did not allow cameras into the school Friday, citing student privacy, but a reporter was given a tour.
Some of the rooms used as seclusion rooms, or safe rooms, are empty classrooms with regular doors that almost always stay open while the student is in the room. Each classroom has a safe room next to it where students can go if they are at risk of hurting themselves or other students.
The smaller safe rooms are about the size of a parking space – twelve feet by six feet.
The school did not want to comment on the Longview school's isolation room but wanted to make sure that one school doesn't represent every special education program.
"The thing that we invite, and are hoping people to see, is that these are spaces and we really focus on helping the students be successful," said Four Corners School Principal Michael Conn. “We have fantastic families, and we have fantastic staff, and sometimes things that are out there in the community, it's not necessarily an accurate reflection of what it is the good people in the public education system are doing every single day."
The parents at Four Corners School are always notified before the school day is over if their child spent time in a seclusion room.
Oregon state law is a little bit more specific than Washington when it comes to requirements for how these rooms are used in schools. In Oregon, those rooms are only to be used if there is "imminent threat of serious physical harm." But Washington, along with dozens of other states, doesn't go that far.
The bottom line is there are a lot of variations between states and even between schools.
By talking about his school, Conn hopes to clear up some misconceptions and assumptions about these rooms. He wanted to explain how each school's idea of a safe room or isolation room isn’t necessarily the same as the one in Longview.
"Therapeutic schools do amazing work and working with students that have mental health needs and disabilities," he said. "I don't want the entire idea of things that take place in some of these settings to be that it's punitive or anything like that."
Meanwhile, an investigation into the isolation room at Longview's Mint Elementary, prompted by backlash over its room and at least three complaints alleging the misuse of it, could take two weeks, according to the Longview School District.
Putting someone in a box is inhumane, so back home, they used to just chain me to a wall.....we called it "Quiet Time"....I wake up screaming still to this day  Bwahaha
things like this is why we pulled our son out of school.   He is working on his GED now and is soon going for his Associate's degree and further on from there.  His behavior and attitude toward education has much improved since we pulled him out of that environment.  I'm just sadden that most parents in other states can't go this rout due to laws.
This is criminal..........unlawful restraint..............if this was in a parent's house and he put the child in there for any period of time, he would be going to jail and lose custody................this is not a "quiet room" this is a psychological torture device........
I worked at a psych hospital when I lived in Oklahoma. We had isolation therapy rooms. They only used as a last resort. The door had to stay open and it required a doctors order. I have worked with the developmentally disabled for a long time too. With proper training, there is no need for isolation therapy. Get rid of the I.T. rooms all together. They can cause a liability for the school unless the isolation is a part of their behavior plan. One thing I have learned in healthcare is to cover your butt with documentation. It could save you a law suit later on.
i'd like to see what doctor the school district consulted who is allowing this to be done to helpless children @PDXBEARÂ
@Donna LaRue @PDXBEAR I can sense a lot of the emotion behind these statements, but please know that in many facilities and schools there ARE psychologists and therapists that work closely with the students and staff. And while I would never blame a student for their behaviors because they most often stem from lagging skills posed by their disability, I will say that when seclusion is being used correctly, the student is not "helpless" and instead is posing an imminent danger to others at the time of seclusion. Punching, kicking, scratching, biting, grabbing, spitting... Repeatedly seeing (and experiencing) those behaviors is what leads to seclusion, not failure to complete an assignment or follow a teacher direction.
With that being said, have you people ever heard of redirection, and positive incentive? IT WORKS!
@PDXBEAR It works with some students, yes. But the inherent problem with mental health and education is that there is no one singular approach that works for every student. Please be aware, the students in a facility like Four Corners are wonderful kids, but they also pose the most challenges because they do require such individualized attention.
 @None  @PDXBEAR The issue is that this isn't just being used in that school, but in regular K-12 schools with kids who have autism, sensory disorders, etc. Those are kids who *can* be worked with on redirection, incentives, recognizing when a meltdown is coming, etc.
We need national standards for this kind of treatment of students. we can't let each individual school make their own laws and misuse this.Â
@32jim2 Each state is responsible for establishing laws surrounding this topic. Oregon does have such a law, and all schools within the state should be following it.
@None But not all schools follow it. That's how this came to light in the 1st place.
Â
Anywhere else in the world those "Isolation Rooms" Â are called TORTURE CHAMBERS!
 @August100 Bah. Not all that different from sitting in a corner as some of us did for many hours as children.
In Oregon please refer to the law. It is very clear what should be done and how they should be used. What I don't undersand is how school districts get away with being untruthful about what they have. PPS has the largest amount of seclusion rooms in the State and yet they,lied to the reporter. It is when people lie that makes me worry. What are they hidinng? 4 corners obviously has nothing to hide and are probably being ethical and following all laws and regulations. but what about a district that lies about their use of them or even having them. I hope the reporter goes back to PPS and demand to see Pioneer Schools programs at Holladay and Youngson. And then find out why the district did not tell the truth?
Â
 @concerned i don't care what the "guidelines" are .........if you can't do it to your kid at home because it is a criminal act........why let a school do it
 @Donna LaRue  @concerned The assumption is that they know what they are doing.
So,,,, is there a safe room for teachers who might be in danger of hurting themselves or others?
@oodathunked It is called the hospital. As I have stated elsewhere in this thread, a lot of the students being served in some of these schools would have been in residential, psychiatric treatment centers or at the state hospital before funding was changed.
 @None  @oodathunked Your implying that only children with mental problems go in these cells, and that just not true.
 @Dava 100%
@oodathunked No child should be locked in an empty room or a box. Mental problems or not.
ITS WRONG!
What would happen if a parent had a room like this at home and the cops where to find out?
 @cpt.iceman Exactly.........the parent would be put in jail for child abuse.......
 @cpt.iceman There are many parents in prisons for subjecting their children to the same confinement....
 @cpt.iceman ..probably nothing unless there is a lock or dangerous...sometimes kids do better with less stimulus..you ever try to do a restraint on a kid..it's can be ugly...the real challenge is to help the kid identify the triggers for the behavior and do some self-calming..
@coopershawk @cpt.iceman Agreed. But in those circumstances that do arise where these interventions do not work, how do you keep the other students and staff safe?
 @Dava A pox on your empty box?
*box*
still working on my coffee. :)
@None Then they go to a sensory room. Not an empty pox.
Â
 @cpt.iceman Well, cops have rooms like this, they seem to be fine with them. I see your point, but something like this used correctly can be a benefit to some. "used correctly" is very important.
 @JTesla  @cpt.iceman used correctly????? you tell me of what benefit this is other than to terrorize a child into behaving "correctly?
Â
@Donna LaRue @JTesla @cpt.iceman When the child is being secluded for assaulting peers and staff repeatedly despite other attempts at intervention, what would you recommend happen instead?
 @cpt.iceman Not trying to defend some of the 'parents' that have faced charges, recently. But, there was that couple that put gates over the bedroom door, for many of the same reasons that are being given, here
As parents/guardians, know your rights! Read the OAR and demand documentation if your child has been involved in a seclusion. Schools that use interventions like restraint and seclusion appropriately will notify you (the same day) of any incident, provide a written copy of the incident report within 24 hours, and invite you to be part of the debrief meeting that will take place within 48 hours of the incident. There are schools that misuse these interventions, but there are also schools that use them appropriately and only as a last resort--and in compliance with the law. Do not assume all facilities that make use of these interventions are the same. I feel that was the message the principal in the above video was trying to get across: don't paint all the schools with the same brush.
We went from having a meltdown every morning last year to now running to class. There is no box in my sons school. We are in Oregon. There is an empty room that was being used for the 1st couple of months of school last year until I found out about it. It's in his behavior plan that if he becomes violent, the teacher is to call a room clear. Then they are to call me to come get him. It has been over a year including summer school, and I have never been called. He is a flight not fight....well he will fight if he feels trapped. So, it proved to me that locking him in the empty room was uncalled for. In fact it made him become violent!!
There is also a sensory room across the hall in what could be another class room. I don't think it's really used though. My son has time out cards that he can pull if he is having sensory overload.
His teacher and I will butt heads sometimes. She is as much a teacher bear that I am a momma bear. She is very educated when it comes to autism. My son loves her, and I respect her. She just told me this morning that for the 1st time they are doing a Chirstmas program this year. I'm so thankful for what my son and his classmates have.
Â
The box and the other things I saw on the news lastnight makes me sick! The box needs to go, and nothing should be used without permission from the parents. My mind will never be changed. These children need to learn how to deal with a melt down. They need to be tought that there are ways to find themselves to self-regulation.
Â
 @Dava Agreed.  This kind of punishment is wouldn't be levied against a kid facing expulsion.  (Assuming an event requiring expulsion would be the worst offense possible)  If a child should require this sort of treatment to be made stable for a classroom environment,  then that child would benefit better from home schooling. Â
Â
Â
@Silver Surfer @Dava There are schools that serve students who would have, in the past, been in hospitals or residential treatment centers. But due to changes in funding and a general lack of funding for education, these students are being serviced in public schools--or therapeutic classrooms associated with school districts. The law states that each and every child has the right to receive an education. Heck, it is actually more compusatory than anything. So these students who have explosive behaviors stemming from lagging skills are more than likely still going to be served within a classroom somewhere. In these settings, you can't just send them home. That isn't a legal option. So what do you do? You train staff and create an educational environment that can serve these students in the safest way possible. In no way am I saying that there aren't places that say they use seclusion as an intervention when they are actually untrained and causing more harm. However, there are many settings I have worked in where I have collaborated with therapists and school administrators on how to best deecalate an individual safely when they are acting violently toward others (despite any other form of intervention used) and many times seclusion was the safest option available.
@Dava I agree with you that parents should be informed ahead of time before an intervention as restrictive as seclusion is used. I know many schools that are on the forefront of special education make sure each parent/guardian signs an informed consent form prior to the student attending school.
 @None  @Dava Not sure if you were part of the conversations over the last few days, but you might want to take a look at some of those comments. The parents are claiming that the teachers are outside of the parents consent, and not following the plans established for their students. What we have here is parents and students claiming that children are being put in these chambers for minor behavior problems. Parents saying they are afraid they're child will be expelled if they complain. And that some schools are taking on these special needs kids for the federal funding, when they aren't trained to handle them, and then in the box they go. It's my opinion that there needs to be more oversight of the schools that use these, and their use should be a rarity not a norm.
 @Dava  @Lips I was responding to 'none' but have also found your comments very informative.
 @None  @Lips  @Dava I think everyone gets that. Reynolds was discussed in a positive light over the last few days, as they seem to have a good program. At the same time this most recent story shouldn't serve as a distraction from the real problem.. the schools that are misusing them.
@Lips I'm not sure if you are talking to me, but I have been a big part of the conversations over the past few days. I'm sure there are people that got sick of me.
I fully believe the lady and her son. I believe these rooms/box is being used for small and big things. I also believe that parents are scared for the reason you stated. I felt that way when I found out about the time out room at my sons school. I was upset, scared, and mad.
I also believe that the parents that say they agreed to let the schools use the box or empty room don't fully understand what is going on, and that the school made them feel that using those things are the only way.
Parents that don't have a special needs child question their parenting. A parent with a special needs child question themselves daily! So, when a school says this is what they do, the parent gets fooled into thinking that must be the right thing.
Hope I make sense.
@Lips @Dava I have not been part of the conversation, so I appreciate the summary. But with regard to the story we are all commenting under, I feel it is important to separate the two because they are very different. They both involve schools that make use of seclusion as an intervention, but one appears to misuse it, whereas Four Corners appears to be a facility that uses it appropriately. I would also assume that Four Corners has informed consent as part of its policy. This story was a reminder that not all schools that use seclusion use it in the same way as presented in the previous story.
Has anyone read the current OAR regarding restraint and seclusion? It is in regard to House Bill 2939, which was adopted on August 2, 2011. I recommend everyone who wants to truly be informed on this topic read the bill.
 @None Thanks You, didn't know this was around.
 @None http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CDAQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.leg.state.or.us%2F11reg%2Fmeaspdf%2Fhb2900.dir%2Fhb2939.intro.pdf&ei=dpa5UMyOEOj3iwLiroFA&usg=AFQjCNH-v1IEGriLUKGt23r09VeI7NDWTA&sig2=Vb4jD24obx-XG4fKk3brrw
 @None WAC 388-145-1020 Agency filings affecting this section What types of physical restraint are acceptable?   (1) You must use efforts other than physical restraint to redirect or deescalate a situation.     (2) If a child's behavior poses an immediate risk to physical safety, you may use a physical restraint on a child. The restraint must be reasonable and necessary to:     (a) Prevent a child on the premises from harming himself/herself or others; or     (b) Protect property from serious damage.     (3) You and the staff may use restraining techniques:     (a) If your emergency respite center provides care to school-age children only; and     (b) Is approved by DLR for the use of physical restraint. You and your staff must be trained in accordance with the DLR behavior management policy before restraining a child in a nonemergency situation.
 @None  @lee986321 for Washing here are is a WAC..
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=388-145-1020
@lee986321 Good call, Lee. Much more effective than just telling people to go find it on their own.
 @None I like windows 8, it opend this right up in a hury with out needing adobe. and thanks for the link. I am reading it and got to Physical, Chemical and personal restraint...I think people should indeed read this. Well for those in Oregon, this does not apply to those here in Washington