Parents tell CCSD 62 board repeated "room clears" at Terrace are disrupting learning and safety
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Summary
Several Terrace School parents told the CCSD 62 board that frequent "room clears" and hallway holds are disrupting instruction, damaging property and causing trauma; they asked the district for more staff supports, training and clearer data on incident frequency. The board said it would review written materials and follow up.
Several parents pressed the Community Consolidated School District 62 Board of Education on Jan. 20 about repeated classroom "room clears" and hallway holds at Terrace School, saying the incidents are interrupting instruction and raising safety and developmental concerns for young students.
Megan Thompson, who identified herself as a Terrace parent, a veteran elementary teacher and PTC president, opened public comment by thanking staff and administrators for their work and then described what she called a "huge increase" in room clears. "My children talk about how it affects the teachers they love and the staff at Terrace," she said, and described students returning home frightened and teachers having to take extraordinary steps to protect school property.
Maggie Martin, an early childhood educator and member of the district CPAC, said her child in a STEP program had been the subject of room clears and that such responses are "a quick fix to a much deeper issue." Martin asked the district to invest in supports that address underlying needs instead of relying on frequent classroom removals.
Janet Federico, who spoke as a substitute teacher and PTC officer, reported observing episodes that included staff being slapped or bitten and students' work torn from hallway walls. "Some substitutes refuse to cover certain classrooms," she said, and called for additional training, tools and backup supports to protect adults and students.
Faye Rivera, another parent who spoke later in the public-comment period, said she tracked 18 clears involving her daughter the previous year and expressed concern that attendance records reflected health absences while not capturing days lost to classroom clears.
Board and district leaders thanked the speakers and said the district would accept their written statements and "look into this." The superintendent asked parents to share copies of submitted materials and indicated staff would review the information.
What's next: Parents asked the board for a written response and clearer, districtwide data on the frequency and scope of room clears and hallway holds. Board members repeatedly urged staff to return information and said they would discuss next steps, including whether additional resources or policy changes are needed.