Safe rooms in schools?

coasterqueen wrote: Hubby has been working over time on a school that is being built in a surrounding community. He is doing all the electrical engineering on the project and he brought his plans home the other night to work on and the girls were asking him all kinds of questions. He asked Kylie if there are safe rooms in our schools and asked me if I heard of them - I hadn't and Kylie had no idea what he was talking about. Ryan has never heard of them either until this project.

Have you heard of safe rooms in your schools? Apparently they are small padded rooms that they put kids in when they need to calm down. Someone stands at the door with this device that locks the door, but you can't leave because you have to hold the device on the door. This ensures that no child is left in the room and forgotten and so the teacher/whomever can look into the room and make sure the child is not hurting themselves.

I was appalled when Dh described this to me. Why would they have a need for this in schools? Am I missing something here. He asked the school super about this and the guy wouldn't really say much to him, just enough so he could design the room and the electrical for it. Very weird!

I'm still in shock schools would have things like this. I thought when DH said "safe room" that it was somewhere they could take the kids in case someone was shooting or something of that nature - but I was wrong.

MommyToAshley replied: Nope, never heard of them and Ashley's school doesn't have them. Is this a normal school or is it a school for children with behavioral issues? Either way, I can't imagine a padded room is the answer. It just seems cruel. I think that school system needs closer scrutiny if they need padded rooms to calm the children down.

coasterqueen replied:
No, it's a normal public school. This school is in fact a very rich school district - VERY RICH, but public school - only school in that community.

I called and ours doesn't have them. I think it sounds cruel as well!

DVFlyer replied:

No clue why they would have a padded cell.... errr... safe room in a school for that reason.

*Maybe* I could justify it in the event of a shooting etc, but for behavioral issues??? Ummmm...

DVFlyer replied: Decided to google it.... These appear to be centered around special needs schools but I found some that were not. Crazy....

http://www.wkyc.com/news/national/news_art...x?storyid=78869

http://www.autism-pdd.net/testdump/test21904.htm

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...70367/-1/NEWS01

http://blogs.southshorenow.ca/sour/?p=94

msoulz replied: Hmmm...I think I may build one in my house and my kids can throw me in it when necessary!!

ETA I know mainstreaming is another topic altogether, but when the so-called "normal" eight year olds are having trouble because of it one wonders if it is worth it and/or fair to anyone?

coasterqueen replied: Well, I am all for mainstreaming, because it is close to my heart. Megan is considered on the autism spectrum, albeit she doesn't have problems like most autistic kids do, she just has a sensory disorder. One of Kylie's closest friends has autism and I truly believe his life is so much better that he is mainstreamed. Albeit, mainly due to friends that love him so much, including my DD.

I guess I completely forgot about them being used for those reasons. It still scares me, because I truly believe a lot of teachers do not have to schooling/knowledge to deal with those kids who have issues and have been mainstreamed and it makes me feel even more unsafe that they have these "safe rooms" to use as well.

PrairieMom replied: Could it be to save the schools from possible law suits from parents? I mean, some of these kids , special needs or not can get way out of control.
So, say you have a child that becomes violent, like, throwing things trying to physically hurt them selves and others violent. What are you supposed to do with that kid until they can get under control ? They can hurt themselves on anything in a typical office or class room, and what if they need to be physically restrained by an adult? they could accidentally be hurt by the adult, in the attempt to keep the kid from hurting themselves.
I can see why a room like this may be used in that type of a situation.

coasterqueen replied:
I can see that too. I guess more than anything I was shocked to hear schools have these, kwim?

bluebear replied: Never heard of that- and I wouldn't leave a kid that "needs to calm down" in a room by their self, no matter how padded it is. Kids need to go to a councelor in school to calm down, not isolation.

luvmykids replied: I would have been shocked by this a few weeks ago, but I subbed for special ed aide a week or two ago and saw a student throw terrible fits all day long and actually thought it would be nice if there was a room like this. He's autistic, doesn't speak or sign, and is deaf. Bless his heart, he has to be soooo frustrated to have no way to communicate But, when he's frustrated, he responds by throwing himself against the wall, repeatedly and when adults try to get close he kicks, hits, etc and is AMAZINGLY strong....everytime he did this I was so sure he was going to go through the wall and I was so terrified he was going to throw himself into a window and really hurt himself.

Anyway, I had never heard of such a thing but do see where it might be useful as long as it is used appropriately and not just for your average kid having a tantrum.

luvbug00 replied: mainstreeming is an entirely differant topic in my opinion and one that needs to be discused amoungst teachers and parents and school systems...BADLY.

But to the OT I think that is the worst idea ever. talk about preparing kids for prision. it's just discusting imho.

kimberley replied: the idea initially appalled me but Monica's post reminded me of the autistic child i watched in my 20s and my own son at his worst. sometimes there is nothing you can do but give them a safe place to cool off. i'd be very concerned about abuse of the room though.

A&A'smommy replied: I dunno I'm on the fence... I want to think OMG NEVER is that a good idea.. but my husband was telling about a situation at our high school where a special needs child went crazy and punched some glass cut himself up and could have hurt other children... its a scary world!!!

maestra replied: Yes, they exist, and yes I've seen and been in one, but not in my own school. I was visiting another school on a weekend, and looking for a place to pump (was at a training). They are used for the cases that Jeanne was talking about- there can be times where children get so out of control that they do have to be restrained (by a trained adult), and taken to one of those rooms so that they can calm down, and then discuss their issues with a counselor. It doesn't seem like one of the most humane things, but in extreme cases, it can be necessary. There was a child in first grade last year that could have used this room. I had to ask the other teacher not to send him to me for time out until after Brian was born because he was actually a danger to me with his propensity for attacking adults around him. He was in all kinds of counseling, and every step possible was taken to make sure he wouldn't escalate that high, but occassionally, he did, and he needed a safe place to be while it happened. HTH