School district sending out monthly reports on seclusion room use

The Iowa City School District is making changes to its seclusion rooms.

New special education director Lisa Glen told the school board on Tuesday she is creating an electronic system to monitor seclusion room use. The district will issue a monthly report from that data.

The rooms are supposed to be for students who are a danger to themselves or others, but the Iowa Department of Education found staff occasionally used seclusion rooms when student behavior didn't justify it.

Glen also said the district is getting rid of seclusion rooms in six buildings.

In July, I9 reported that Pierce Elementary staff locked a third grader in a utility closet to have her calm down. The district investigated this case and concluded this instance of seclusion was inappropriate.

The district has formed a task force to explore seclusion and restraint issues more deeply.