Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Safety And Discipline topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parent urges Beaverton board to close restraint/seclusion loophole tied to 'zones of regulation' rooms
Summary
A parent said some district calming rooms operate as informal seclusion and asked the board to require reporting and redefine seclusion by student experience rather than room label.
A parent of an autistic student told the Beaverton School Board that color-coded calming rooms used with the Zones of Regulation curriculum can function as informal seclusion and avoid the district's seclusion reporting requirements.
Samantha Patterson said her son was repeatedly placed alone in rooms labeled "yellow" or "red" and not allowed to leave, which she said caused trauma and stalled academic progress. She asked the board to "close the loophole" by defining seclusion by the experience — a student isolated and unable to leave away from peers — rather than by what a room is called, and to commit to transparent reporting and oversight so parents are notified whenever a child is removed from the classroom.
Patterson referenced the district's parent-notification requirements under state administrative rules (she cited OAR 581-021-0568 in the meeting record) and argued that when incidents are not labeled as seclusion the district avoids mandated notifications and debriefings. "Accurate reporting isn't just about transparency for parents. It also ensures the district has the correct data to get state and federal funding support for evidence-based alternatives," she said.
The board did not take action at the meeting; Patterson's testimony was part of public comment. Staff or board members did not offer an immediate policy response during the session recorded in the transcript.
