Longview school suspends use of isolation box
LONGVIEW, Wash. - The Longview School District has suspended the use of an isolation box for special education students while it reviews the policy for isolating students who may be a danger to themselves or others.
Spokeswoman Sandy Catt says Mint Valley Elementary School stopped using the box Wednesday in response to complaints that came in after a photo of the box was posted on Facebook.
Nine children with behavior problems used the padded booth.
Supporters in the district and the state say the seclusion rooms can be helpful tools to help children deeply affected in the autism spectrum and that they can help kids calm down and not hurt themselves or others.
Other districts in the state use similar-type rooms, but the state doesn't know how many because the rooms are regulated by the individual school districts.
And many parents aren't happy with the concept.
Jim and Mandy McCracken say they never gave permission for their 7 year old daughter to be placed inside a seclusion room inside Elma Elementary -- which they say happened for 3 1/2 hours in October.
"When she came out of there, she looked like a zombie," Jim McCracken said. "I tried to talk to her; she would not talk to me. It’s really hard on a kid that has autism."
School leaders say the autistic second grader was acting up, so she was placed there with a staffer.
"We have to make decisions based on the safety of the student, the safety of other students, and the safety of the staff, just like every other school would do," said Elma School Superintendent Howard King.
But King says the students are never left alone in there.
"At no time is that room used for just the student, him or herself. There’s always an adult there," King said. "The claim that she was by herself is totally untrue."
State law allows for the use of isolation rooms for students who are receiving special education services and there are special conditions -- they have to be lit, and well ventilated, there has to be visual access, and restraints can't affect breathing.
Nathan Olson, who is the communications manager for Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, says there is no provision in state law to put students who are not in special education in those rooms.
"If that's the case, that is wrong," Olson said. "And if that's the case, we would like to hear about that."
The McCrackens filed a complaint against their Elma school.
"They should not be allowed to just do this without the permission of the parents," Jim McCracken said.
The state says it needs more information.
Spokeswoman Sandy Catt says Mint Valley Elementary School stopped using the box Wednesday in response to complaints that came in after a photo of the box was posted on Facebook.
Nine children with behavior problems used the padded booth.
Supporters in the district and the state say the seclusion rooms can be helpful tools to help children deeply affected in the autism spectrum and that they can help kids calm down and not hurt themselves or others.
Other districts in the state use similar-type rooms, but the state doesn't know how many because the rooms are regulated by the individual school districts.
And many parents aren't happy with the concept.
Jim and Mandy McCracken say they never gave permission for their 7 year old daughter to be placed inside a seclusion room inside Elma Elementary -- which they say happened for 3 1/2 hours in October.
"When she came out of there, she looked like a zombie," Jim McCracken said. "I tried to talk to her; she would not talk to me. It’s really hard on a kid that has autism."
School leaders say the autistic second grader was acting up, so she was placed there with a staffer.
"We have to make decisions based on the safety of the student, the safety of other students, and the safety of the staff, just like every other school would do," said Elma School Superintendent Howard King.
But King says the students are never left alone in there.
"At no time is that room used for just the student, him or herself. There’s always an adult there," King said. "The claim that she was by herself is totally untrue."
State law allows for the use of isolation rooms for students who are receiving special education services and there are special conditions -- they have to be lit, and well ventilated, there has to be visual access, and restraints can't affect breathing.
Nathan Olson, who is the communications manager for Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, says there is no provision in state law to put students who are not in special education in those rooms.
"If that's the case, that is wrong," Olson said. "And if that's the case, we would like to hear about that."
The McCrackens filed a complaint against their Elma school.
"They should not be allowed to just do this without the permission of the parents," Jim McCracken said.
The state says it needs more information.
I wasn't too happy to get a call from the school to come pick up my grandson and find him in the time out room with a pool of pee around him standing in it naked crying. When I asked how long he had been in there I was told it was for about 45 minutes. If I am able to calm him down during a meltdown within five to fifteen minutes I question why no one on the staff is able to. We are in Pierce County.
Seems like a perfect room. Schools are training kids on how to deal with solitary confinement. You know that prison is where most of these kids are heading anyway.Â
I want my own padded room so I can have some alone time for myself (so I can get a break from work, husband, and kids)...... set up a little mini fridge (stocked with rum and cokes) and TV in there. Sweet!
How stupid are some of these school districts?
Â
EVERY school district that has been exposed for having these 'rooms' have been forced to get rid of them, yet every now and then some damm fool school district hasn't learned that having one is trouble.... Â
Â
I'm not arguing the right or wrong of whether these rooms are right or not - what school district leadership is so stupid as NOT to learn from what they see others going through every time one of these rooms is discovered????
Â
Â
 @FormerMarineSgt Can you name any others?  I know of many schools that have built-in padded time-out rooms, albeit they are different from the one pictured in this story but essentially the same thing.
I wonder if they'd be willing to sell it. I'd like to have that.
Â
"A cubicle is a padded room without a door"
I can see the purpose of the room but there would have to be very strict rules about it and it would make me very nervous. My kids are well-behaved, even though one has Aspy tendencies. Parents should have to give permission, kids should be able to put themselves in there if the parents have given permission. I know some kids with anger issues who want a place to go. I don't know about just one staff person being in their with a child. There is a potential issue with a teacher who is innapropriate with children. I have certain teachers at the schools that I would flip out if I knew they were alone with my child in a locked box. I have mixed feelings about this method and what could happen with it.
Looks like a good place to keep the school bullies for a little while.
 @Sovereign Sadly children with special needs are often bullied.  Even sadder is when a child is bullied and then the child responds the only way they are able to (i.e. agression).  Then the child with special needs ends up in the deescalation room because he was "attacking children on the playground." Â
All that left is to stop building short buses...
FYI, to those interested (slightly off-topic):
Â
http://www.c-span.org/Events/Lawmakers-Look-into-Federal-Response-to-Rising-Rates-of-Autism/10737436113-1/
Â
I wish i had one in my place. Kinky stuff
Komo i would suggest checking the credibility of the people you choose to interview. everyone in the community has watched this elma family lie, twist facts and threaten lawsuits for years. as a member of the community with students at that school,  i have seen the family allow their daughter to throw rocks at mom and dad on an almost daily basis. daughter often beats up on her parents as well. after repeated reminders they still let both kids run around campus with dad often instigating it.the family is in the school office complaining on a almost daily basis. the love to claim their daughter is autistic but they dont follow any normal routines or seek knowledge on how they can assist her.
@Say What? I work for the Elma School District and have worked in the building in question and around the child in question. I have seen the same things that Say What? mentions and have also seen child in question physically hurt or try to hurt staff. Children in that building are NEVER left unattended and there is a space that is used to allow children to de-escalate so they can be ready to be with their peers again. These parents have no idea what they are talking about and need to quit trying to sue the district. Maybe they should try getting their children under control and quit allowing them to be abusive to them. Then the children will start to understand that they can not treat everyone they have contact with in a physically abusive manner.
 @Say What? Guess what?  Someone just sent me the Congressional hearing on Autism/CSPAN.  Will watch tomorrow and link (in case it helps anyone here).  It rattled five people enough to send it... must have been a doozy.
I will look for it tomarrow evening. Thanks
I too live in the Elma community and know the credibility of the McCrackens. If there should be anyone to blame for the kids behaviior it should be the parents. The parents are sue hungry, looking to blame others for thier neglegence. Let's run a story on the McCraken family.....
 @Say What? I read earlier that the child was not classified special needs. Is the child special needs, high functioning autistic or just an out of control kid (behavior, which indeed is a classification)?  What are the regular class sizes there?  Do they have a 6:1:3 and 8:1:2 for behavior based autistics on the scale? Are they moving around other kids paras to sit with this child? (I know they don't pull teachers out for hours to watch the box, so who does)?  Is he in the right class with structure?  Did they try different class sizes, time models, prompts? Did he have a one to one para?
Â
You know BOE can be sued for suggesting medication; All they can do is recommend testing (at least a social, psych and tack on a hearing test), get the BOE to do it, and go from there.
Â
On the other side, does this family have a Children's Services record and does the sibling have the same issues (as you know of)?
Â
I've run out of questions.
Â
Â
I know that the parents have said in the parking lot that their girl was autistic. From what I have seen in the parking lot at the the school disapline is minamal
 @Say What? That puts a whole new spin on it.  Thanks so much.  I will follow this case closely and find all the info. Â
Can we get one of those in the workplace? Â There are times I would love to be locked in there for a while!
 @Tom-RNT Only your boss and the managers are the ones that physically bring you in there, lock the door,  and tell you when you are clam enough to come back out.  Once I was physically able to leave the situation, I would quit!  What if you have to go to the bathroom?
@Teresa Thats what the corner is for.
 @Tom-RNT It would certainly be softer than bashing your head against a wall to keep from throttling some schmuck who really needs it
Why get rid of them? Sometimes kids need a time out -for themselves or others. like anything it must be used with discretion. This is one more reason to abolish government schools.
 @contraryjim "...abolish government schools" why? So abusive administrators and teachers won't have to obey rules that you think are "stupid"?
Clearly, this isolation room was being abused, according to the report given here.
I think they need to consult Donald Rumsfeld on a much more effective way...Â
So, now they're going to be 'suspending' the use of these isolation cells but they're STILL going to be having children in the classrooms who are so out of control that they motivated the use of these cells to begin with?
Â
The idea that a student who is healthy and wants to learn is forced to be in the same classroom with students who are so completely uncontrollable and disruptive to the educational process that they occasionally require a PADDED CELL does not exactly paint a picture of a quality learning environment where dedicated, healthy students are given an opportunity to focus on their studies and make the most of their school day.
Glad to see they made the right decision. Schools do not have the infrastructure to use these kind of rooms correctly. You can't just lock some kid in there for hours and just ignore them. If they were just used to hold a kid till their parents showed up, in some cases that would be fine. But the box needs to be in a well monitored area and just used for short periods. Just better to ban them all together if proper infrastructure is not being used.
Don't know why anyone sends their kids to public schools these days. They should just be home schooling them.
 @Blindman YES throw the baby out with the bath water??? Yes the kids would be better off at home.
 @Blindman I dont know how this room secures but all the safe rooms Ive seen use a magnetic lock you have to actuate and hold the button, meaning the teacher has to stay there and hold the door secure. Its designed that way so misuse of the room is less likely. The teacher cant lock a kid and go back to dealing with other things.
Â
Â
Why is it that children with these many problems are in a public school classroom with other kids? We used to have the disability kids in separate classrooms but I didn't see this until I reached middle school. I feel sorry for the kids in public schools today, most of them are hell holes it seems - not much education going on. I applaud my sister-in-law who did home schooling. All 3 of her kids are light years ahead of other students their own age and had all the socialization they needed with sports, etc. Just none of the 'drama' of public schools. Sad, sad day when teachers have to use these kinds of 'boxes' or anything else and I have to wonder - are the teachers even knowledgable on how to handle children with disabilities - are they certified to teach these students? I think our public school system is long overdue for a total overhaul. The parents definitely need to get more involved, although I know that is tough too with the way all the 'politicking' is in the school system these days.Â
 @Elaine2 Once an IEP is written, the child's team looks at what the most appropraite placement is.  Yes, legally the child must be in the least restrictive enviornments and hopfully geneal education.  There is a variety of placement including an integrated classroom or autism resource room.  They are set up so the autism classroom is "homebase" and they leave to general education classes when appropriate.  Sometimes with an aide.  There are many self contain classrooms around the state.  A school in Marysville is asking for a grant, their page states "Kellogg Marsh Elementary houses seven self-contained autism classrooms serving 60 students from preschool to fifth grade." I think you would be surprised how many self contained classes there are.  These are just AUTISM classrooms.  Self-contained classrooms are also the classrooms that typically have a deescalation room.  I don't think the Marysville school district uses these rooms (I am unaware of their district policy).  Other placements include a private school (paid for by the district),  the child's home, in a hospital, and jail.  It all depends on what is appropriate for the child. Â
https://powerabrightfuture.clorox.com/nominees/detail/?nid=2009
Â
I don't believe that parent involvement is the main issue.  Parents are just one "team member" there can be many obstacles for the most dedicated parents.  Teacher and staff training is also a serious issue.  Look on craigslist or a district website, I bet you can see what the requirements are. Â
 @Elaine2 Mainstreaming push.
Wow, people think this is cruel? How many of you have actually worked with autistic and mentally handicapped children??????
Â
Ive seen why these "rooms" are completely not cruel and completely necessary for the safety of the child and the adults. It often can take several adults to restrain a child misbehaving and by misbehaving I mean physically attacking the teachers and some of these kids are bigger than the ladies that supervise the classrooms.
Â
These mentally disabled children can have seriously dangerous tantrums and the safest place for them is a room that they cant destroy, hurt themselves or hurt others. You can't just tell the kid to go sit in the corner and be quiet. They dont understand and can't be stopped until they want to stop.
Â
God people stop jumping to conclusions before knowing what really happens and why these rooms are used in almost every elementary across the state.
 @Driscle Well I have 4 kids at home.  One of my boys throws tantrums and he is suspected to be autistic.  What I do is secure all the other kids, get them in a safe place.  Play pen, rooms etc.. Then I deal with my son.  Putting him and isolating him hasn't worked for me, we need to work through it together.  That's just me.  With all the other kids safe and secure we can go outside or put him in the bath, rock, or do what ever it is to help him calm down.  My son responds to affection and patience, it takes time.  Time is what a lot of parents and teachers don't have.  My child would never be subject to a room like this, I could never do it.  Getting a child into the room probably takes as much energy as it would to just restrain them.  If it is that bad that the child is a threat to the safety of the other students and the teachers they shouldn't be at school. Â
Â
 @Driscle One problem here is that the room reportedly has been used as a general disciplinary facility for children who are NOT autistic or otherwise affected, and who simply have annoyed a teacher. Another problem is that these rooms are often used in an unlawful manner - blocking the doors by unlawful means and leaving children in the rooms unattended. When faculty and staff use these rooms to bully children, that crosses the line.
@Driscle - are you a teacher? If you are, can you tell me why disablity children are in classes with non-disability students? I don't mean to use disability either but handicapped sounds kind of wrong too. Sorry, I'm not up on the exact PC expression. I'm just curious about all of this. Are the teachers certified in how to teach these types of students?
 @Elaine2  @Driscle Elaine2-I am a special education director, and want to address your question. Students with disabilities are protected under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), Section 504, and Americans with Disabilities Act. The IDEA mandates a Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE) for all. This means that all children have a right to an education-no child should be excluded.Â
Depending on what the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Team decides, a child with disability can be placed in a special education classroom, or they could be mainstreamed for part of the day. In order for the placement to be appropriate, the children must be able make educational benefit. They cannot disrupt the educational process of others as well. Therefore, students with extreme behaviors are usually not in a general education classroom, but a specialized program, which is designed to meet their very individual needs within the public schools. Teachers in these programs are specialists with endorsements in special education. All teachers working with students that have extreme behaviors, have training for safe intervention strategies (Right Response or Crisis Intervention Strategies), and positive behavioral intervention strategies.Â
All children can learn at high levels, of course this means individual achievement. It is our responsibility to provide an education which will ensure that all students leaving our programs can be as independent as possible, whether in their family home, or living on their own with supports for outside agencies.
@West2 - Thanks for the detailed information! Yes, I didn't mean that special needs children shouldn't have the benefit of education in any way and also interaction with other children I'm sure helps. Glad to hear from someone who really knows!Â
 @Elaine2  @Driscle Some classes (they go by different names by states), have almost half and half ratio.  BUT, this integrated setting is used for slight speech issues with no other deficits, medical/ortho/wheelchair students, the highest functioning on the special needs side (other than category).  They wouldn't be suitable in a highly structured setting where for example, children have helmets and bang their heads; They need models to go up, not down.  But sadly here, i've seen it used because the mom doesn't want to go to different schools to pick kids up, and nine times out of ten one of the kids are in a class they shouldn't be in.  Oh, and they get more money for the special ed seat, so I guess they put this kid in the wrong class and/or they ran out of spots in the highly structured class.
 @Elaine2  @Driscle Â
Bush and his retarded "No Child Left Behind" legislation is the reason children with disabilities spend more time in regular classrooms. Â Also, as a parent of a child with severe ADHD and also a child with moderate mental retardation and autism spectrum issues, I don't see why a padded cell is necessary. Â I never feel the need to lock either of my children in a closet, for crying out loud. Â The whole idea is lazy and ridiculous. Simply separating them from others for a few minutes is usually entirely sufficient.Â
 @Vicarious  @Elaine2  @Driscle I totally agree with your view on the padded cell and commend you for your proactive way in dealing with your children's issues.  I have one question however, why would you use the word "retarded" to describe something you dislike when you have a child with moderate mental retardation?
 @Vicarious  @Elaine2  @Driscle The IDEA specifically states the child should be placed in the least restrictive environment.  It is decided AFTER the IEP is written and they look at the most appropriate placement for THAT child.  Some children only qualify for speech help, they can be in the general education classroom the whole time.  Some children need reading or math help, they can be pulled out for specific times.  Some kids require a self contained classroom with a couple classes/activities in general education (with or without supports).  Some children do not spend any time in general education.  It all depends on the child.  When deciding the team does look at the impact of their behavior on the learning environment.  That is part of deciding an appropriate placement.  If a child can get all A's on all assignments completed, but swears and constantly interrupting instruction with challenging behavior (e.g. behavioral disorders or Aspergers).  That would be considered when deciding the placement.  They would also look at behavior supports (functional behavior assessment and behavior intervention plan) It is an INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PLAN.Â
 @Vicarious  @Elaine2  @Driscle So your kids are in a regular class or lower ratio with pull outs?  FYI, there's a great regimen using food records to help with severe ADHD.  My daughter's fine, it took about six months... six long months.  I had to be careful due to other medical issues.
 @Vicarious  @Elaine2  @Driscle And with all the wisdom and experience that two kids will give, your sage advice i'm sure is appreciated.
 @Elaine2  @Driscle I'm not a teacher but I know a lot of SPED teachers who deal with some very very challenged kids. I've seen how they behave first hand and have read the reports (that the teachers are all required to document child behavior and incidents). The teachers are specially trained to supervise these kids.
Â
What I've seen is the teachers will be placed with the appropriate child that theyre best capable of handling. So in other words older teachers will get less unruly children, younger more physical teachers (i mean physically able to restrain a child if neccessary and or defend themselves) will get the most challenged students.
Â
And the kids ARENT mixed with normal classrooms or regular students.
@Driscle@Elaine2
For parts of the day, they ARE mixed in. SPED students are in their normal classrooms, but they do spend parts of the day (lunch, PE, Music, maybe math, maybe spelling, etc) in a general ed classroom. They do this so students learn to be compassionate and learn in general about special ed students, and so the student learns social skills.
Â
Districts are actually pushing for spec ed students to spend more of their days in general ed classrooms. They don't realize this will not do well for general students who will get their learning environment disrupted, or for the spec ed student who will never be able to keep up and will destroy any of their self esteem.
Welcome to Obamacare...
 @KOMO_Sapiens Youre in an idiot. These safe rooms have been used for decades with good reason. The people responding on here have clearly no experience with mentally challenged students