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The Impact of Seclusion on Utah’s Disabled Students

The little gray rooms are about the size of a Porta Potty, with a padded interior, a metal latch, and a small window on the door. They wouldn’t seem out of place in a psychiatric facility. But Stephanie Merrill, a mother of twin 8-year-old boys with autism, says she was “horrified” when she saw the rooms on a recent tour of Elk Meadows Elementary School in South Jordan.

“My first thought when I saw these boxes was solitary confinement,” she said in an interview. “The only thing that was missing was a straitjacket.”

These rooms go by many names, some more innocuous-sounding than others—from “seclusionary time-out rooms” and “isolation boxes” to “calming rooms” or “quiet rooms.” Regardless of what they are called, their purpose is clear: to maintain safety in Utah classrooms by secluding children who pose an immediate threat of “serious physical harm” to themselves or others.

Across the state, students were placed in seclusion more than 1,300 times in the 2020-2021 school year, according to a FOX 13 News analysis of data from the federal government’s Civil Rights Data Collection survey. Those numbers, the most recent available, were almost certainly affected by school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Seclusion, in its simplest form, is the practice of placing “a child in a room or area against their will and not letting them out,” explained Guy Stephens, a national opponent of the practice with the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint.

“In a school setting, it often looks like a child having a big behavior, getting forcefully dragged to a room, put into it while someone either blocks the exit or holds a door shut,” he added. The very image evokes a chilling scene: children being forced into padded rooms, isolated from their peers and the outside world.

Data reveals that most students put in seclusion are in elementary school, and a significant majority have disabilities. While some states like Georgia, Hawaii, Nevada, and Texas have either banned or severely limited the use of seclusion, Utah’s rules permit it under narrow safety circumstances. These rules limit seclusion to no more than 30 minutes at a time and require supervision throughout, as well as notification to the student’s parents and school administrators every time it’s used. They also specify that the tactic should never be used to punish or discipline a child.

“It could be a circumstance of self-harm,” said Ashley Lower, a behavior specialist with the Utah State Board of Education, when discussing the conditions under which seclusion might be deemed appropriate. “Or they could be in a position where they’re going to maybe be physically aggressive or violent towards another student or adult.” Whatever the context, she stated, “seclusionary time-out is a last resort.”

In a bid to understand the scope of this practice, FOX 13 News reached out to all 44 Utah districts and charter schools that reported using seclusion in the 2020-2021 school year. In their statements, the districts emphasized their commitment to using the tactic only as a last resort and highlighted their compliance with state regulations governing its use.

Despite this, opponents argue that seclusion is often overused and call for its outright ban in the state. They cite the potential for lifelong trauma for students placed in seclusion, alongside the risk of civil rights abuses and discrimination, given how frequently the practice is employed among students with disabilities. “I don’t think seclusion is ever appropriate,” Stephens asserted.

The Psychological Toll of Seclusion

The emotional toll of seclusion on children is profound. Banging against the walls. Screaming. Crying out for a loved one. These are just some of the reactions children exhibit when they find themselves confined in an enclosed space, unable to leave. Stephens, who has worked with parents across the country whose children have been put in isolation, shared his experiences. “We often see that the stress is so high that kids might even urinate or defecate themselves,” he added.

Stephens founded the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint after his own son, who is neurodivergent, was subjected to seclusion in Maryland schools—experiences that caused the boy to develop a fear of returning to the classroom, ultimately requiring him to be homeschooled for a time. “The impact is really lasting,” he lamented. “I know kids who were restrained or secluded when they were 7 or 8 years old who, at 18 or 19, can’t sleep with their door shut at night, are afraid to get into an elevator, or go into a small, enclosed space.”

The federal government has noted that there is “no evidence that using restraint or seclusion is effective” at addressing underlying behavioral issues. Yet research indicates that such tactics can be traumatic, leaving “deep and lasting effects” on children as they grow. “People often talk about, ‘Oh, we have the padding [in the seclusion rooms] so the child won’t hurt themselves,’” Stephens said. “There’s no amount of padding in the world that prevents a child from the trauma that they will endure by being put into a room against their will.”

Widespread Practices in Utah Schools

Seclusion is alarmingly common across Utah, with 125 schools in 21 of the state’s 29 counties reporting at least one instance in the 2020-2021 school year. That year alone, schools reported a total of 1,319 instances of seclusion among just 529 students—suggesting that many children were subjected to isolation multiple times.

Nate Crippes, an attorney with the Utah Disability Law Center, explained how the trauma of seclusion can lead to additional behavioral problems for children, creating a vicious cycle in which teachers may resort to seclusion more frequently to manage the newly emerging issues. “In at least some of the instances we’ve heard about or seen, [seclusion] can escalate the behavior,” said Crippes, noting that concerns about seclusion have reached the Disability Law Center from parents at least a few times each year. “It probably is leading to more seclusion or more restraint.”

Currently, there are no federal regulations governing the use of restraint, but the U.S. Department of Education has issued guidance about the tactic and noted that repeated use of seclusion should be seen as a warning sign that students are not receiving the help they need. The department has also raised alarms about the discriminatory nature of seclusion, as students with disabilities are isolated far more often than their peers without disabilities. In Utah, approximately 80% of all instances of seclusion involved children with disabilities.

This disproportionate use can effectively deny these students access to education in numerous ways. “If you’re stuck in a box somewhere, you’re not getting whatever education all your peers are,” Crippes explained. “You’re missing out on all that teaching time, all the interaction with your fellow students. You’re missing out on so much. And on top of that, you might also be experiencing significant trauma.”

A Call for Change

Merrill’s experiences reflect the urgent need for change. After touring Elk Meadows Elementary School and learning about the existence of seclusionary time-outs in Utah schools, she found herself unable to sleep. She could only envision her son Austin, “scared to death” and “fighting for his life” in a setting resembling a small, padded cell. Years earlier, Merrill and her husband had adopted the twins—who had been exposed to drugs and alcohol in the womb—through the foster care system. The thought of placing him in a school that employed seclusionary time-out rooms filled her with dread, knowing it could expose him to additional trauma.

“Our kids were traumatized before they were born,” she stated firmly. “And I absolutely refuse. Absolutely, my son will never go in one of these boxes ever.”

Determined to raise awareness about seclusion, Merrill chose not to enroll her son in the school and has been actively advocating for change among Utah parents and policymakers ever since. “We want to have public outcry and outrage that these boxes are being used,” she expressed passionately.

Jordan School District, when contacted for a tour of Elk Meadows Elementary School, declined to respond and did not provide specific answers regarding seclusion. Instead, the district issued a statement emphasizing its commitment to student safety. “These spaces are very rarely used, only in extreme cases for brief amounts of time for the safety of students and staff,” Sandra Riesgraf, the district’s director of communications, said in the statement. “The spaces are used for emergency safety interventions in accordance with strict State and District requirements and only by highly trained staff.”

The district previously faced scrutiny for its seclusionary practices, particularly after photos surfaced of an isolation room designed to resemble a time travel box from the TV show “Doctor Who.” In a letter sent to the Jordan School District last year, the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint urged the district to reconsider its policies on seclusion. Stephens argued that districts that have banned the practice have experienced “improved outcomes, including fewer injuries, less staff turnover, and increased staff satisfaction.”

Though he did not receive a response to his concerns, Stephens remains hopeful that change is on the horizon. While he dreams of seeing action taken at the district level, he ultimately envisions Utah lawmakers prohibiting seclusion statewide.

“I’m a big fan of a quote by Maya Angelou, which is, ‘Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better,’” Stephens shared. “Here in 2024, we absolutely know better than seclusion. There are better things we can and should be doing.”

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