Should Minnesota End the Use of Seclusion Rooms in Special Education?

Minnesota Dept. of Education recommends ending seclusion for all students in 2026

July 1, 2024

The practice of seclusion in special education has come under scrutiny by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). Seclusion is where dysregulated students, those who may struggle with controlling emotional responses, are brought to a small room and isolated from the rest of the class. Some special education professionals say seclusion rooms are a vitally important safety tool however the MDE wants the practice to stop.

On March 22, MDE released an annual report on the use of restrictive procedures used in Minnesota special education classrooms during the 2022-23 school year. The report was completed by the Division of Education in conjunction with school districts, mental health organizations, and social service agencies. The MDE is recommending the state legislature ban the use of seclusion rooms by September 1, 2026.

Minnesota State Senator Zach Duckworth (R-Lakeville) says the legislature should first consult stakeholders in the education community before banning seclusion in schools. “I wouldn’t be opposed to restrictions or getting rid of seclusion rooms if it’s been harmful for kids,” Duckworth said.

What Are Restrictive Procedures and Seclusion Rooms

If you’ve never heard of restrictive procedures or seclusion rooms, don’t worry, many haven’t. Students may experience overly intense emotions or act on impulse. In some instances, a student may damage school property or put classroom safety in jeopardy by grabbing something sharp. If that happens, school staff try to restrain the student until they are calmer.

Trained school staff may try to physically restrain a student for the safety of the student, their classmates, or staff. Most commonly a student’s arms will be held so they cannot hurt themselves or others. There are strict rules for physical holds such as never placing students into a face down position.

If restraining the child is ineffective, or if safety is a question, the child can be placed in seclusion. Seclusion is where a student is confined to a room, alone, and is prevented from leaving. “Seclusion rooms” as they are officially known can sometimes have different names at a school such as “quiet room” or “calm down room,” but their layout is usually similar.

Gym mats are usually placed on the floors and walls, but furnishings of any kind are not required by the state. The rooms are often plain with little to no furniture, and many allow no natural light. They resemble what many might refer to as a “padded room.” The door to the room is usually locked and the student is unable to leave until staff allow them to do so.

The use of physical holds and seclusion during the 2022-23 school year rose for the second consecutive year, according to the report. The number of reported seclusions for the year was 3,938 or about 24 each school day throughout the state. The report also states physical holds and seclusion were used disproportionately more often with non-white students.

Minnesota law states physical holds and seclusion may only be used in emergency situations such as a student destroying furniture or harming classmates. They are not to be used as a disciplinary measure and schools are required to register their seclusion rooms and report their use to the state. However, due to a lack of accountability procedures or checks, there is no way to know if schools are complying with legal requirements.

Special education professionals have different opinions on the use of seclusion rooms with some saying when used properly these techniques keep students and staff safer.

Seclusion Rooms May Not Look Good, But Are Necessary For Safety

Monica Joubert is a kindergarten centerbase special education teacher at Akin Road Elementary School in Farmington, Minnesota. She says her school has very strict guidelines on restrictive procedures with extensive reporting and meetings to follow each time they are used.

At her school, if seclusion is needed, staff always accompany the student into the room and try to help them calm down. However, she says seclusion rooms may be overused in some classrooms.

“For the caseloads that I handle, a seclusion room is a very necessary reality,” Joubert says. “The training that we got as special educators present this as an ultimate last resort. You don’t want to use this if you don’t have to, same with having to ever place your hands in some form of a hold on a child.” But the rooms are not effective for all students, she says.

“It’s very kid-dependent on whether or not it works,” says Joubert. For some of her students the room seems to make them more dysregulated while others will eventually calm to where they can re-join their class. She said removing seclusion as an option would make her job more dangerous.

“It will make our lives infinitely more difficult and I think we will see an uptick in workplace injuries. A lot of the time we need to allow them to go into a room where they can’t throw a chair, or tip a desk, or grab scissors. If we can’t bring them somewhere where they can be safely dysregulated then the risk of injury to staff as well as other students definitely increases,” she said.

Machayla Millhouse is a special education paraprofessional with Intermediate School District 917 in the southeastern Twin Cities area. At 23, she says this will be her last year teaching.

“I’ve seen such a rise in problem behaviors. It’s just kind of exhausting. I go to work every day and I come home with bruises. I get spit in the face and called names. It’s hard to continue and want to go work in a place like that,” Millhouse said.

Seclusion rooms may be necessary to keep staff and students safe. However, currently there are no mechanisms to ensure schools are registering their seclusion rooms or reporting their use as required by law.

Monica Joubert asks what tools MDE is planning to provide special education professionals if seclusion is no longer an option. “What tools and resources are you going to provide when you’re removing tools that are utilized? I think reducing our ability to maintain safety in our classrooms will lead to a greater reduction in people applying to be teachers,” Joubert said.

If special education teachers and paraprofessionals experience more frequent injuries and stress at work, they may leave the profession leaving Minnesota’s special needs students without the support they need to succeed.