![]() If a child is prevented from leaving a space with a barrier, Eberman said, "I think the case can be clearly made that it’s probably seclusion." "Could it be better? Yes, but it's nothing like (Reiss is) projecting," he said.Įric Eberman, director of public policy for Autism New Jersey, said the advocacy group supported the new state law, because school districts previously had no state restrictions or guidelines on using restraints and seclusion for students with severe behavioral challenges. "The alternative is to try to move them to another spot in the classroom where they could endanger other people, staff members or themselves," Perry explained. Perry, who joined the district in August, said the current term is "calm-down space." He said many districts use calm-down spaces to help children who may become overwhelmed and lash out at those around them. The school district's policies describe a timeout room as a short-term intervention used to "safely manage the behaviors of students who demonstrate a significant and immediate risk of physical injury to themselves, their peers and/or the staff." The district policy was enacted in 2014. "There's nothing calming about that space," said Stephanie Reiss, who suggested an area with partial walls, beanbag chairs or other child-friendly accommodations. "We can obviously do better." The state law does not apply to the use of "timeout," which it describes as "the monitored separation of a student in a non-locked setting, and is implemented for the purpose of calming." However, it does require prior written consent of the student's primary care physician, unless the space is needed in an emergency to keep the student or others physically safe. The measure does not specify what a seclusion space should look like. The use of physical restraint and seclusion techniques on students with disabilities is permitted by a state law enacted in January. ![]() That would escalate his behavior," he said. "I've never done this, but if I put him in the closet, that wouldn't calm him down. Scott Reiss noted his son also has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and is a "ball of energy." "He said it was like jail," said Stephanie Reiss, the child's mother. ![]()
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