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Aide urges board to preserve Whole Child classroom, offers grants and de-escalation-room options
Summary
An aide and a classroom staffer described how Shoals’ Whole Child classroom supports students with regulation needs and asked the board not to cut supports; they outlined classroom practices, success stories and potential grant-funded de-escalation rooms.
Cookie Taylor, an aide in the district’s Whole Child classroom, and another classroom aide addressed the board during public comment to describe the classroom’s purpose and to ask the board to preserve those supports.
"The Whole Child classroom is not an extra. It is an essential pathway for students to reach their potential," the commenter read from a prepared letter, saying targeted supports prevent academic regression, chronic absenteeism and harmful disciplinary outcomes for students with heightened social-emotional needs.
Taylor and other staff outlined concrete classroom practices: small-group and one-on-one interventions; sensory adjustments such as lower lighting; consistent routines and expectations; debriefing for staff after incidents; and a proposal for a small de-escalation room to manage worst-case behavioral events. They stressed that the classroom’s smaller size and specialized staff were the reason they see measurable progress among students who otherwise would not thrive.
Staff offered grant information, timeline estimates and suggested the maintenance and operations team could help with construction and insulation costs. The board did not take immediate action on a construction proposal but invited staff to return with formal grant requests and cost estimates.
