Why Some School Administrators Think “Seclusion Rooms” Are Useful

As we reported earlier this week, the independent state agency that advocates for the rights of disabled people is investigating the use of “seclusion rooms” in Columbus, Ohio’s largest school district.

While many advocates for students with disabilities are in favor of tightly regulating or even banning the use of these rooms often used to isolate children with special needs, a group representing the nation’s school administrators disagrees.

In a publication released this month, the American Association of School Administrators says:

AASA does not think the use of seclusion and restraint should be commonplace, or used as a means for punishing bad behavior. Rather, AASA believes seclusion and restraint are necessary tools in the toolbox of school personnel to defend themselves and their students from incidents that could be dangerous for everyone who attends or works in a school.

The AASA’s publication comes several months after federal legislation was introduced (S.2020) that would prohibit school personnel (including school security officers) from physically restraining a student unless the student’s behavior “poses an immediate danger of serious bodily injury to self or others.”