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Parent alleges child locked in padded room; robotics supporters press board for dedicated space and coach
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Summary
During public comment a parent alleged a child was seen locked in a padded room and urged an end to such rooms; another speaker urged the district to hire a committed robotics coach and finalize a promised dedicated STEM space.
During the meeting’s public-comment period Candice Kelly told the board she came because she is a mother and said her 10-year-old son reported witnessing a child locked in a padded room at a district school.
"My son came to me, and he had told me that he had he'd witnessed a child being locked inside of a padded room," Kelly said, adding she had seen the room and that the incident had happened multiple times over several days. Kelly urged improved staff training, more aides and sensory alternatives to padded rooms and asked the board to end the practice.
Board rules read aloud before public comment said speakers may not discuss individual employees by name and that student educational records are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act; the board also said members and staff may not respond to public-comment items during that period to avoid violating open-meeting rules.
Later, Stacy Blackstone spoke about the district’s robotics program and STEM extracurriculars. Blackstone said students had invested hundreds of hours in projects and urged the board to deliver a promised dedicated space for robotics and to hire a passionate coach who would actively mentor and support students so the program can sustain momentum.
Neither public comment triggered immediate board action at the meeting; the board’s public-comment rules and the need to avoid discussing personnel or individual student records limited on-the-spot responses. Both comments were entered into the record for board consideration and potential follow-up through staff channels.
