ST. PAUL 鈥� Advocates against the use of seclusion rooms for children in schools held a press conference Thursday, May 8, to raise concerns over the Senate鈥檚 education policy bill that opens the door for the practice.
The Senate鈥檚 education policy omnibus bill, , includes an amendment offered by Sen. Judy Seeberger, DFL-Afton, that would allow the use of seclusion rooms 鈥� a small room where students are isolated, often to prevent harm or disruption 鈥� up to sixth grade with parental permission.
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In 2023, the Minnesota Legislature of seclusion rooms for grades K-3, which went into effect until September 2024.
鈥淟et鈥檚 be absolutely clear: This is not about safety,鈥� Khulia Pringle, executive director of Stand Up Minnesota Parents United, said Thursday. 鈥淭his is about allowing schools to lock away our youngest, most vulnerable children, many of them Black, brown, disabled or neurodivergent, when they need support the most.鈥�
Currently, there are 195 registered seclusion rooms across 50 school districts, according to the Minnesota Department of Education. Most shows that in 2023-24, there were 285 students secluded and 1,209 total seclusions.
Sen. Steve Cwodzinski, chair of the Senate Education Policy Committee and author of the Senate omnibus bill, said in a statement Thursday that he hopes to come away with bill language that 鈥渇amilies, their students and our schools feel good about.鈥�
鈥淭his is a complicated issue,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur task at hand in this case is to balance the need to eliminate the use of this practice where it is not appropriate 鈥� with the need to protect its availability to families who believe it鈥檚 beneficial to the well-being of their child.鈥�
The education omnibus bill, , passed the and now heads to conference committee, where the Senate and House will work out differences.
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