Policy 7710 – Use of Time Out Rooms

Required Policy for Schools Which Use Time Out Rooms as Part of Their Behavior Management Approach

“Time out” is a technique used to interrupt an unacceptable behavior by removing the student from the situation where the misbehavior is occurring. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) does not regulate the use of time outs, but does regulate the use of a separate room where a student may be removed for a time out.

Except as provided below, the School District will not employ the use of time out rooms as a means of regulating student behavior.

A time out room is defined as an area for a student to safely deescalate, regain control and prepare to meet expectations to return to their education program. If a time out room is used, it must be used in conjunction with a behavioral intervention plan (that is designed to teach and reinforce alternative appropriate behaviors. The student is then removed to a supervised area in order to facilitate self-control. Time outs may also be used in unanticipated situations that pose an immediate concern for the physical safety of a student or others.Unanticipated or emergency use requires proper documentation, in accordance with Commissioner’s regulations.

The District has adopted and implemented the following policy and procedures governing school use of time out rooms as part its behavior management approach consistent with Commissioner’s Regulations, including the physical and monitoring requirements, parental rights and individualized education program (IEP) requirements for students with disabilities.

     At a minimum, the use of time out rooms will be governed by the following rules and standards:

a)  The District prohibits placing a student in a locked room or space or in a room where the student cannot be continuously observed and supervised. The time out room will be unlocked and the door will be able to be opened from the inside. The use of locked rooms or spaces for purposes of time out or emergency interventions is prohibited.

Staff will continuously monitor the student in a time out room. The staff will be able to see and hear the student at all times.

Under no circumstances will a time out room in a school program be used for seclusion of the student, where the term “seclusion” is interpreted to mean placing a student in a locked room or space or in a room where the student is not continuously observed and supervised.

b)  Factors which may precipitate the use of the time out room:

The Time Out Room offers a quiet and safe area to students with a behavior intervention plan (“BIP”), to be used when students are:

• • Overwhelmed
  • Experiencing over-stimulation
  • Out of control

The Time Out room is designed to provide students a place to de-escalate, regain control and return to class.

The Time Out Room may be used as an emergency safety measure to:

• • Remove a student from a classroom who is acting in a manner that is unsafe to the student or others to enable the student to regain control and return safely to class.

c)  Time limitations for the use of the time out room:

Based on a student’s age and individual needs, a BIP must identify the maximum length of time a student may remain in a Time Out Room.
At no time may a student remain in the Time Out Room longer than 30 minutes at a time or more than 60 minutes in a day.

Further, a student’s IEP  will specify when a behavioral intervention plan includes the use of a time out room for a student with a disability, including the maximum amount of time a student will need to be in a time out room.

School administration or other personnel will be notified in the event a student is placed in a time out room for excessive amounts of time; and such information will be considered when determining the effectiveness of the student’s behavioral intervention plan and the use of the time out room for the student. Whether the student requires a debriefing following the use of a time out room shall be left to the staff knowledgeable about the individual student.

d)  Staff training on the policies and procedures related to the use of time out rooms will include, but not be limited to, the following measures:

1.  The Director of Special Education will be responsible to the Superintendent for establishing administrative practices and procedures for training all District personnel responsible for carrying out the provisions of Commissioner’s Regulations relating to the use of time out rooms, including members of the Committee on Special Education (CSE) and Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE).

• • • All staff authorized to place a student in a Time Out Room shall be trained on the District’s Policies and Procedures related to its use.
    • Only trained staff authorized by the school principal may place a student in a Time Out Room.
    • The Time Out Room, when in use, must be constantly monitored by staff, who must be able to see and hear the student at all times.
    • The BIP shall require data collection designed to assess the effectiveness of the use of the Time Out Room in decreasing the behaviors
    • targeted in that plan and on the student’s IEP.
    • Any person who sends a student to a Time Out Room must make a record that includes, at a minimum:
      • The student’s name
      • The precipitating event that led the staff member to place the student in a Time Out Room.
      • The total amount of time the student remained in a Time Out Room.
      • A description of the student’s ability to resume classroom activities after leaving a Time Out Room.

e)  Data collection to monitor the effectiveness of the use of time out rooms:

District schools will establish and implement procedures to document the use of time out rooms. This data would be subject to review by NYSED upon request.

Such data collection should include, but is not limited to, the following information:

1. 1. A record for each student showing the date and time of each use of the time out room;
   2. A detailed account of the antecedent conditions/specific behavior that led to the use of the time out room;
   3. The amount of time that the student was in the time out room; and
   4. Information to monitor the effectiveness of the use of the time out room to decrease specified behaviors which resulted in the student being placed in the room.

f)  Information to be provided to parents or persons in parental relations (parents)

The School District will inform the student’s parents prior to the initiation of a behavioral intervention plan that will incorporate the use of a time out room for a student, and will give the parent the opportunity to see the physical space that will be used as a time out room and provide the parent with a copy of the school’s policy on the use of time out rooms.

Parents will be notified if their child was placed in a time out room. Additionally, whenever a time out room is used as an emergency intervention parents will be notified of the emergency intervention. Notifications will be provided on the same day. When the student’s parent cannot be contacted after reasonable attempts are made, the building principal will record and report the attempts to CSE.

Parent reports of alleged inappropriate interventions used in a time out room should be directed to school administrators.

Physical Space Used as a Time Out Room

The physical space used as a time out room will meet the following standards:

a)  The room will provide a means for continuous visual and auditory monitoring of the student.

b)  The room will be of adequate width, length and height to allow the student to move about and recline comfortably.

c)  Wall and floor coverings should be designed to prevent injury to the student, and there will be adequate lighting and ventilation.

 d) The temperature of the room will be within the normal comfort range and consistent with the rest of the building.

e) The room  will be clean and free of objects and fixtures that could be potentially dangerous to a student and  will meet all local fire and safety codes.

Education Law Sections 4402
8 NYCRR Sections 19.5 and 200.22

Adopted: 04/25/12
Revised: 01/19/23