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MILFORD — City schools can use “time outs” to defuse situations and allow students to calm down, but the practice should not be used as punishment, according to an updated school board policy.
The Board of Education, at its April 11 meeting, finally approved the revised policy on the use of exclusion timeout settings after numerous revisions.
“What we’ve done is clarify how downtime is used as an intervention,” said Christopher Brown, director of the school system student personnel series. “It will vary a bit between how it’s implemented with students’ special education services and students who receive a regular education program.”
Behavior management practices for students can sometimes include the use of time outs. A time-out zone is a place where students can safely de-escalate, self-regulate, calm down, regain control, and prepare to meet expectations to return to their educational program, in accordance with policy.
Time outs are not used to punish or discipline a student, the policy adds.
The policy also states that teachers must have comprehensive behavior management plans for all students. In one of the early revisions, council member Cindy Wolfe Boynton pointed out that the sentence made it sound like every student needed a behavior management plan instead of having a general classroom management plan.
“I want to thank everyone who participated,” Boynton said. “I know it was a process, but I think it was well worth the time spent clarifying.”
After several policy meetings, the board came to the conclusion that it needed to be clarified how time-outs would be implemented and used for students receiving special education and those not.
“The key thing for students receiving special education is that the behavior intervention plan is part of the student’s Individual Education Plan,” Brown said. “The behavioral intervention plan is developed in collaboration with the parents who are part of the planning and placement team.
For students not receiving special education services, Brown said the behavioral intervention plan is noted as part of good classroom management that can happen in any classroom. ordinary education.
“A teacher may have a dead time space that can be helpful for students to regulate their behavior and emotions during a classroom lesson,” he said.
As stated in the policy, for students who do not have a disability or IEP, the parent or guardian will have the ability to view the Time Out Zone, which is located in the classroom.
“The purpose of this paragraph is to clarify that a downtime can be in an ordinary teaching classroom and used as a proactive strategy, as we call it a soothing corner, a zen lair or something like that. effect,” Brown said.
Additionally, parents or guardians will be notified if their child has used time-out during the school day, the policy says.
“It’s a fabulous version of that policy,” said board member Una Petroske. “It’s very clear.”
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