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Committee debates new exclusionary time-out and seclusion policy, sends item to full board for first reading
Summary
Bridgeport’s policy committee discussed a proposed districtwide policy on exclusionary time-out settings and seclusion—covering definitions, physical restraint, required training, and documentation—and voted to forward the draft to the full board for a first reading after members pressed for clarifying language and training data.
The Bridgeport School District Policy and Personnel Committee debated a proposed districtwide policy governing exclusionary time-out settings and seclusion (Policy P5144.2) on March 12 and voted to forward the draft to the full board for a first reading.
Dr. Sacchi presented the draft as a new district policy (it does not exist now at the district level) that “gives specific information regarding definitions of exclusionary time-out, seclusion, what physical restraint is” and prescribes standards for the physical space and data collection when a student is placed in a designated time-out setting.
Committee members raised multiple implementation and training questions. Jennifer Perez, chairperson of the board, asked whether staff in every building are trained and how often recertification occurs. Dr. Sacchi said buildings should have “at least one” trained staff member, that the district provides annual recertification and in-house trainers, and that he could provide a per-building breakdown of certified staff. Perez emphasized de-escalation as the primary approach and said restraint “is the last resort.”
Committee member Miss Perez (same as chair) and Mr. Colvet (Dante Colvet) pressed for limits and documentation. Colvet said seclusion is typically used in individualized education program (IEP) behavior plans and is governed by state reporting requirements; he urged that seclusion not be a regular-education disciplinary tool and said the policy as written aligns with other Connecticut districts. Committee members asked staff to consider adding model language that makes clear these measures are for extreme circumstances and to consult legal counsel and special-education staff (K–12) before full-board presentation.
The committee voted to forward Policy P5144.2 to the full board for a first reading. Members requested the packet include supporting data on current use, the per-school training roster, recertification schedules, and any required state reporting forms.
