Oregon House passes ban on 'seclusion cells'
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SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon House unanimously passed Wednesday a bill banning "seclusion cells" and work continues for limits on "seclusion rooms" in schools.
The type of 'seclusion cell' that is included under the Oregon bill is like the one that had been used at a school in Longview, Wash., which KATU News first reported on in November 2012. Those cells are defined as free-standing and not part of the building structure.
Democratic Rep. Sara Gelser of Corvallis visited a school in Portland that has rooms she hopes would be banned under the law.
"I asked to go inside one of these cells, because I had been told that they're very calming. That it can make you feel better. That it can make you relax," said Gelser on the House floor Wednesday. "I asked to go inside. I asked to have the door shut. I didn't feel calmer. I didn't feel relaxed."
Gelser visited Pioneer School, which specializes in teaching special needs students and has isolation facilities.
The school district has characterized them as rooms, not cells.
"Often times, if we were to use a room like this, the alternative would be physically restraining a student for a prolonged amount of time," said Portland Public Schools spokesman Matt Shelby. "So this allows us to basically put them in an environment where they can basically calm themselves down."
Gelser said the legislation is aimed at banning just seclusion cells including what's at Pioneer School and separate legislation would further limit the use of seclusion rooms.
She said if the bill approved by the House doesn't accomplish that, she'll go to colleagues in the Senate to have the bill modified to make sure it shuts down those seclusion rooms at Pioneer School.
What are the schools going to be able to do? Stop sensationalizing this topic! You are going to completely isolate these kids from regular schools . The public school will not be able to take peoples kids with problems because we are restricting any options for when a child is having bad day. Stop reporting and come up with solution.
@SFdirewolf @Mediadisdat @KATUNews Oh how BIG of them. Uuh! So far Behind. Gotta Keep on a Pushing. =))
It is about time..To keep toxic chemicals out of our water please join us at......http://www.cleanwaterportland.org/
Here's a thought, stop drugging your kids and teach them to act respectfully.
There fixed it!
What ever happened to standing in the corner or the dunce cap
Can the people who work in this classrooms who end up getting hurt by another student , because no room was available SUE? Who can they sue? Â Maybe the people that ended up putting this stupid " make me feel good ban " in place? Â I would jump on that wagon.
OBEY ME said Miss Trunchbull or it's the POKEY for you!
The concept of these rooms, I can understand. Look, teachers are severely under paid, all across the US. I have lived all over the US. It's here in OR that you always here if you don't pass this, we will cut teachers pay, or education. It's really very horrible. Special needs or not, what this is all revolving to, is teachers needing in depth education on child Psychology. I can't help but to feel OR will not spend a dime on such a education. They struggle cramming threats down our throat, to pass this bond or that bond. I seriously can't stand this about OR. I think plzzzz change threats to another place. Like why not threaten the millions spent on Bike lanes? I think spending on teachers and Education on children is much more important than freaking bike lanes.
Kids definitely need to be somewhere, for time out when they are hurting others. I wouldn't want my child "hit or kicked" by another student. Esp if it could have been prevented. Thats not right. Something needs to be done to protect your child
@DixieChic So your for locking your kid in a closet?
I have had to deal with some of these kids who have been placed into these time out rooms.  Kicking, punching, screaming, hysterically fighting and striking out at anything.  So what does the legislature propose be done? Allow these children to hurt other children and staff? Use a taser on them?  This smacks of more feel good , warm fuzzy knee jerk reaction.  Because a person goes and sits herself in a room has 0 to do with the reality of dealing with many of these children, many of whom have serious disorders.  Go ask a staff member who works in these "class rooms" how many times they have been injured.  Most of the people who pass laws in Salem would run screaming into the night after 15 minutes.
@Dennis Johnson Perhaps the solution is to get these dangerous kids out of the schools? Â
Yes everyone should have access to education, but not at the detriment or safety of other children.
@Owt_Raged @Dennis Johnson My son attends Pioneer School, and has needed to be placed into these rooms. Pioneer is ONLY for children with special needs, mental disability or mental illnesses. Not a main stream public school. Each child has there own issue. The staff is highly trained, and psychiatric staff is available as well. When my son is in a fit of fury, he can severely hurt someone, and/or damage property. He can not control these outbursts due to his illness. For the safety of staff, classmates, and himself I prefer the seclusion ROOM (not cell smh) to being held down or strapped down with restraints.Â
@Chante Haney so in your instance, why is the government trying to take this away? Sounds like everything else has been done to make it as safe as possible at the school your son attends.
My niece attends a "special Ed" school in WA. Unfortunately, Education is the only thing they don't do. It is part of the school district, but she gets more education from her grandmother than the school gives her.
I hope Pioneer is doing a better job for your son. And I hope politicians can keep their noses out of how your son and his school help him control himself.
@Dennis Johnson NO you have to give up the teachers lounge and turn the room into a peaceful setting for timeout.
@32jim2 @Dennis Johnson You are a freaking idiot! You around and make stupid joke about the safety another person.  I dare you to volunteer at a school in one of these classrooms.
Instead of seclusion cells just cram all the bad kids into one room and pipe in loud metalllica music.
This sounds like something a dumb Democrat like Democratic Rep. Sara Gelser would push as her agenda. I was one of those students and I welcomed the chance to calm down and gather myself. Maybe this woman should have listened to the students, teachers and parents who thought they were a great alternative to someone hurting another classmate.
@stinger139I was one of those students and I welcomed the chance to calm down and gather myself.
?? Â So you could not listen to others who told you to calm down ??
And yet you say this woman should listen to others.??
The "Cells" have repeated been used for punishment. Without the proper training to work with the children with different needs that is what aides and teachers resort to, locking them up- they don't know what else to do and won't change unless they have to. Speaking from experience so don't tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. Some of those children are geniuses they just learn different. Please learn about what goes on.
@O'Leary,I have had to deal with some of these kids who have been placed into these time out rooms.  Kicking, punching, screaming, hysterically fighting and striking out at anything.  So what does the legislature propose be done? Allow these children to hurt other children and staff? Use a taser on them?  This smacks of more feel good , warm fuzzy knee jerk reaction.  Because a person goes and sits herself in a room has 0 to do with the reality of dealing with many of these children, many of whom have serious disorders.  Go ask a staff member who works in these "class rooms" how many times they have been injured.  Most of the people who pass laws in Salem would run screaming into the night after 15 minutes in this environment
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@feral
Actually, the difference would be is whether it is a room in the school or is a "freestanding, self-contained unit". There are no sizes listed in this bill. It would be extremely obvious to tell whether it is free-standing or whether it is a room within the school.
You can see the bill here:Â http://www.leg.state.or.us/13reg/measures/hb2700.dir/hb2756.a.htmlÂ
Seclusion cells: aka conditioning kids to better accept their sentences when they enter into the Prison Industrial Complex later on in life.
@browntownÂ
These are special needs kids, not troublemakers.Â
Why are these special needs children in with the  not so special needs children? This disrupts the classroom. Is it to indoctrinate children to view the special people as unfit to be in society? Lay down more rail tracks to ship the specials to their own camp I mean school.
@Bert All the children at Pioneer School have a different kind of special need, mental illness or disability. This is not a mainstream school.  People who are uninformed on this really upsets me. These children have tried to go to a "normal" school without success. Have been expelled, police removal, or sent to a psyc ward. This school is the next step for them to learn how to act, with intensive therapy, and skills training. Â
@Bert All children are entitled by law, to a "Free and Appropriate Public Education is the 'Least Restrictive Environment'" This looks different for different children. If a child can function for part of the school day in a mainstream classroom, then this is his "least restrictive environment". He may receive support from a self contained classroom for part of the day, or from a learning center or "push in" support within the mainstream classroom. We do the best we can, as educators, to find the best fit for all children to be successful. It is enriching for all children to experience as much inclusion as possible; however, there are also, out of necessity, schools like Pioneer or Arata Creek or Serendipity, who are providing wonderful place for childrenwhose "least restrictive environment is a specialized therapeutic or behavior focused school.
@mlindsay   "Free and Appropriate Public Education is the 'Least Restrictive Environment'"
In other words, screw the majority of the children out of a proper education due to the need to cater to the few special ed kids. Nice. This is why there are so many screw ups coming out of our education system.
I strongly feel that this is misguided legislation. These seclusion rooms have the potential for misuse, however, in the case of many students with extreme behavior needs, such as my adopted 12 year old son, these rooms are necessary for his safety, the safety of fellow students,  and the safety of the fantastic and truly dedicated teachers and support staff who work with him at Arata Creek School. The alternative for children like my son is physical restraints - often requiring 2 or 3 staff members to accomplish. My son will often now walk himself to the seclusion room, rather that kick, hit, spit and bite staff, or bang his head on walls or floors. It is also important to remember that these rooms are a small part of the overall programming, such as teaching behavior regulation, providing speech and language interventions to help children like my son learn to voice their anxieties and frustrations, and counseling and  social skills and conflict resolution training. I am happy that my extremely impacted son has the opportunity to attend public school, and that his specialized school has the resources to fully care for him while he's there.
@mlindsay
These are not "rooms", they are cells. They are free-standing closet-like things that are fairly small. This bill bans those. It does not ban the use of actual rooms for sensory overload, deescalating from a meltdown, etc.
From the bill:Â
"'Seclusion cell' means a freestanding, self-contained unit".
@mlindsay Is your kid a target for bullies? I have a special child and it was suggested by his 6th grade teacher that 7th grade might be physically dangerous for him and home teaching would be safer.
@Bert @mlindsay He may not be in the right environment, may need more suppor,t or a specialized classroom to experience school success. Wow - that's extreme, suggesting homeschooling because a child can't be served in his present placement!!
Gee, maybe it didn't help because you don't have the kinds of issues that a low-stimulation environment can help. In fact, ever consider that you might be claustrophobic?
Then again, most of our public schools today have classrooms that are decked out like a circus on steroids, and these are absolute torture for ADHD kids. There is no chance in hell they can concentrate when even the darn walls are busy!
A child who has something much more severe than ADHD, with an even lower ability to tolerate extraneous stimulation - yes, tools like this can help.
It would be much better if state policy makers - and left the science to the experts.Â
Better yet - remove a child you care about from subsidized schoolcare.
That's what the politicians want, anyways. A child that has challenges costs too much for the taxpayer minimal storage dime.
@ 1911R1Â Where did you read they use these for kids for a month long seclusion? Never happened in public schools.
@Watch This SpaceÂ
They didn't say a child had been locked away for a month. They said whoever thought of it should be locked in one for a month.
Who in the hell ever thought these things would be a good idea should be locked into one of them for a month.
Too many are uninformed, including Rep. Gelser. Can seclusion rooms be misused, yes.Â
Can they be beneficial for the kids who do need them (by their own admission, some 35 years later by my professional experience) Yes.Â
Why would a Rep.gauge her own personal experience and then conclude, based on Her own experience, that it can be ineffective for others who DO find it calming (as they need seclusion to calm themselves at times)? One might assume she assumes that all are just like her, when in fact all are not.
Should they be used indiscriminately? Absolutely not. Should they be available to the kids who can gather themselves when they choose? Yes.
@Watch This Space
Could a room where a child could deescalate deal with a sensory issue, etc. be a good thing? Yes. Should it be a little closet? No. This bill would ban the use of a seclusion cell, which the bill defines as: "'Seclusion cell' means a freestanding, self-contained unit".
@Jenni S. @Watch This Space Jenni? I am on your side regarding the issue, I have had over 25 years of kids and parents thanking me for the support and guidance I offered regarding this exact issue (the phone calls and emails from many were from the kids 25 years later).Â
They were guided through the maelstrom of how to A) help the child understand how to express their needs. B) How to help the Parents understand how to listen to the (sometimes) well ensconced communication of the child. and C) How to share that information with the various Schools ( Regular classrooms, Mainstreamed, Self Contained and finally Day Tx and Residential settings). Â
I retired a few years ago from this yet still keep my hand in now and then when asked. Again, I am on your side in this.
So...they'll just change the name to "The quiet private office..... that isn't furnished" or "The thinking room"?
Whatever makes the House happy and diverts attention from the REAL problems that Oregon has to deal with, makes all happy?
 Maybe she doesn't like being in one these cells but when I was a child I would have LOVED to been in one all day (and yes...I'm mildly autistic).  Maybe instead of banning them they should only use them when child volunteers to be in one (as opposed to being tied up.  Usually I was sent to the principle which was way more stressful and didn't calm me in the least).  Â
Well, if these things are not allowed in prisons and no longer allowed in schools, then treat these out-of-control keed's like they do in prison. Â Now keed's it is time for Uncle Shelby's potting training... Â Only in the Libtard State of Orygun and maybe Washingtun...
Seclusion cell:Â the place where Ginny Burdick holds her town hall meetings.
Give the schools some control or quit being so shocked when the little darlings shoot everyone. Send them home and let their parents deal with their behavior. We need to hold them accountable for their behavior and have real consequence for their actions. Not excuses as to why they are acting out. They are doing it because they can and no one dare to stop them.
@irsmartThis isn't about children who are ill-behaved because of lack of appropriate discipline.  The rooms in question were to be used for special needs children, ie. children with Autism.  You can't punish the Autism out of someone any more than you can a child with Down's Syndrome or any other developmental issue.  Teachers should be trained to appropriately respond to and redirect a child, rather than lock them in solitary confinement.
@ZombiesAteYou @irsmart Good ponts here, however, if I could add, seclusion rooms, when used properly, are absolutely NOT about "punishment" - they are about safety. My adopted son has fetal alcohol syndrome, autism, moderate mental retardation and anxiety. When is is doing well, he is a delight; when his meds are off, or he is struggling, he absolutely needs a place to safely deescalate. That is how these rooms should be used - a place to deescalate and regain control - never, ever as a punishment.
@mlindsay @ZombiesAteYou @irsmart
They can still have a room where they can deescalate and regain control. They just can't be like these seclusion cells.
From the bill:
"'Seclusion cell' means a freestanding, self-contained unit"
Schools can still set up a chill zone, thinking zone, sensory room, etc. It just can't be one of these closet-like things.
http://www.leg.state.or.us/13reg/measures/hb2700.dir/hb2756.a.html
Whatever! Hold back the rest of the class to cater to the special needs of someone acting out!
@jpkÂ
The rest of the class doesn't get held back. There are alternatives to these seclusion cells that can be used, including sensory rooms. The child still leaves the room when they have a meltdown - or feel one coming on - but they aren't locked in a little closet. And part of it includes teaching them how to deal with the situation, how to recognize when it is going to happen, etc. When a school does this, the number of meltdowns decreases dramatically. At that point, the special needs kids disturb the class less often than a child does for things like throwing up.
Thanks to the work that our school has done, we've seen meltdowns go from one a few times a week to only one in the classroom all year. And that one meltdown stemmed from a substitute teacher who didn't know the procedure and didn't know that she was allowed to leave the room.Â
People who say the only alternative to these rooms is their kid getting restrained are wrong. They may have been told that by their school, but it's not true. They should talk with other parents from other schools and see how it is done there. Other schools have been able to handle these situations successfully and humanely.
@ZombiesAteYou @irsmartÂ
Exactly. Too many people seem to misunderstand and think that these are kids who need discipline and are acting out on purpose. That's not the case.Â
Other schools are able to handle these situations in a much more humane way that not only works and is easier on everyone, but actually cuts down on the number of incidents.Â