Discipline and safety of students were on the agenda in Jefferson City this week. Representatives on the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee voted unanimously in favor of a bill that would limit the use of seclusion rooms in school districts. Chair of the Committee, Chuck Basye said some schools were using these rooms as a type of punishment but HB 1568 will limit them to be used only for safety purposes.
The bill also outlines how seclusion and restraint has to be reported to parents and the state by schools. Some members of the committee raised concerns over a requirement to report what happens in the seclusion rooms on a minute-by-minute basis, but still voted yes.