At a 2025 work session of the Eagle Point School District 9 board, district staff described a new behavioral support program—referred to in the meeting transcript as “Kakeru” and variously spelled—that trainers introduced to reduce staff and student injuries in special‑education classrooms. Missus Sullivan, a district special‑education staff member and one of two district trainers, told the board the program is a trauma‑informed, nationally certified, non‑restraint approach and that staff began using the techniques April 28.

The district said the program uses medical‑grade pads with handles that can be displayed in classrooms and used for de‑escalation, sensory replacement and protective buffering between students. “It’s actually a Japanese word, and it means to accept,” Sullivan said, adding the program’s philosophy is “trying to determine why like, what is students behavior trying to tell us.”

District staff told the board the program originated for students in residential living facilities and is already in use in other Southern Oregon districts and education service districts. Sullivan said two district staff were trained in February, the district provided two professional development days that trained about 40 staff, and training has been prioritized for site‑based special‑education classrooms.

Board members and staff discussed how the pads are used and safeguards to avoid misuse. Sullivan said the pads “are always just used as a barrier” and staff are trained not to push a pad toward a student or use it to confine movement; the full training is eight hours, covering trauma‑informed practice and hands‑on techniques for disconnecting from grabs or bites.

Board members asked about family training and use at home; Sullivan said the program allows training for parents but that the vendor’s only caveat is the district should not charge parents for the training. On equipment she said families could use pillows or couch cushions at home rather than district‑purchased pads.

On monitoring and outcomes, Sullivan said the district will track three measures: staff injury reports specific to special‑education classrooms (she cited “40 staff injury reports just from our special education classrooms from the beginning of the school year till present”), state reporting of any restraints or seclusions to the Oregon Department of Education, and internal debriefs when staff use Ukeru. She said the Southern Oregon ESD county program that first used the approach reported “tremendous success.”

The board did not take formal action at the work session; staff described the rollout as new and continuing and outlined plans for ongoing data collection to determine whether the program reduces injuries and restraints.

Sullivan and district staff emphasized proactive use—introducing pads while students are calm, teaching social stories and offering pads as an alternative activity—rather than bringing pads out only when a student escalates. The district also said trainers will partner with Southern Oregon ESD for larger trainings when needed.

The district’s presentation to the board combined descriptions of program content, implementation steps taken to date and initial monitoring plans; board members asked for follow‑up data on injury reports and on how family training might be offered.