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District explains seclusionary time‑out rules and reporting after state rule changes
Summary
District staff reviewed seclusionary time‑out and emergency safety interventions, including when seclusion may be used, monitoring and parental‑notification rules, and recent changes requiring functional behavior assessments and immediate parent notification after 30 minutes.
Catherine Allen, a district presenter, briefed the board on seclusionary time out and the district’s updated practices following state rule changes.
Allen defined seclusionary time out as when a student “is placed in a safe and closed area by school personnel… purposefully isolated from adults and peers, and prevented from leaving or reasonably believe that they are prevented from leaving an enclosed area.” She emphasized the statutory limits: seclusionary time out may only be used when a student presents an immediate danger of serious physical harm to self or others; the space must allow continuous monitoring (a window or staff presence); doors must have self‑releasing latches so staff cannot lock a student in and walk away; and a single continuous instance is limited to 30 minutes. At the 30‑minute mark staff must promptly notify the parent or guardian, Allen said.
Allen clarified what seclusion is not: it is not a classroom calming corner or a space students can use voluntarily for regulation. She described required supports: use of multi‑tiered systems of support (MTSS), PBIS (positive behavior interventions and supports), and the increased use of functional behavior assessments (FUBA) to understand and plan for behaviors. She said FUBAs are now a requirement in many cases and must be done with parental permission.
Allen also described prohibited practices and required documentation: mechanical and chemical restraints are heavily restricted; prone or airway‑restricting holds are not used; district staff do not use chemical restraints. She said documentation and immediate notification rules have tightened—the district must notify parents immediately when an emergency safety intervention is used, rather than waiting up to 24 hours as previously permitted.
Board members asked how often seclusion rooms are used; Allen did not provide an exact districtwide frequency, saying the number varies and that spikes can be driven by individual students’ circumstances. She also recounted staff safety concerns, citing examples of staff injuries over recent years (concussions, broken arms, bites and other trauma) and thanked school staff for persistently working with challenging situations.
Allen said the district will continue to monitor procedures, provide staff training, and ensure compliance with the new state rules on documentation and notification.
