LO schools had conducted investigation, worked with the parents to develop student plan

By Georgia Thelen
Review Staff Writer
Recent allegations in the Lake Orion school district have left many residents wondering what emergency safety interventions and “cooler rooms” are and how they are used for special needs students in surrounding school districts.
An emergency safety intervention, as defined by the Michigan Department of Education, is the use of seclusion or restraint to de-escalate student behavior that poses an imminent risk to the safety of an individual student or others.
These types of interventions include using seclusion and restraint (such as “cooler rooms”) and de-escalation techniques, verbal or non-verbal interventions used by school employees to calm down a student.
In early October, a local television news story reported on a Sept. 19 incident in which a mother said her 8-year-old son with autism was locked in a padded “cooler room” at Paint Creek Elementary for three hours and was not allowed to use the restroom.
Officials in Lake Orion said they conducted their own thorough investigation and could not substantiate any of the allegations. The district also took the proactive step of sending a letter concerning the incident to parents.
“Our school district takes allegations like these very seriously,” said Joe St. Henry, spokesperson for Lake Orion School District. “At no time is any child left in a locked room or unsupervised in our school. It is common for classrooms to have these cool down rooms for the protection of the student, classmates and the teacher.”
Lake Orion educators have been working with the family for months to develop an educational plan that best fits the students’ needs, added St. Henry.
A Lake Orion mom, Sadie Hills, shared what great success her son has had in using the “cooler room” at Paint Creek Elementary, adding that the school and staff have done an amazing job with her child.
“It amazes me all these parents, who don’t have a special needs child or any experience with how this classroom operates, are quick to comment how it’s used for torture. If it were used for that purpose, my child would not freely walk in there to calm down and gather himself,” said Hills.
“I have been at the school when (my son) was in the “cooler” and very angry and the principal was in there with a very calm and soothing voice,” Hills said. “His teacher, plus the schools’ social worker, were inches from the entrance to the cooler. Not once in four years has he come home with any kind of accusations that he has been mistreated.”
Hills also stated that her son’s previous school district did not take the necessary precautions for his behaviors. They “cleared out a conference room so he would have a safe place and he ended up disassembling the vent that was built into the wall.”
Nearby Clarkston Schools chose not to comment on whether they use “cooler rooms” or sensory rooms in any of their schools.
Clarkston Student Support Services Executive Director Kathy Christopher said: “We follow the state guidelines, the standards that are outlined for ‘seclusion and restraint.”
Michigan’s current Seclusion and Restraint Standards can be found at michigan.gov and outline that “an emergency seclusion may not be used in place of appropriate less restrictive interventions”. The standards also set guidelines for time and duration for emergency seclusion, which is 15 minutes maximum for elementary students and 20 minutes maximum for middle and high school students. Any seclusion for a longer duration requires additional support of nurses or additional expertise and documentation to explain the extension beyond the time limit.
On Sept. 15, Lt. Governor Brian Calley asked the House Education Committee to push for legislation that bans restraint and seclusion from schools except in emergency situations.
According to an article on the Autism Alliance of Michigan website, Calley is pressing for changes such as: providing students with a safe place where they can account their actions and make statements that won’t be used against them; removal of literature that states a “trained behaviorist” be present since the licensed “behaviorist” profession does not exist in the state of Michigan, and language that requires school personnel to “immediately” call designated personnel for emergency situations to guarantee safety.
Cally said he would like this legislation to ban any spaces that are “only used to lock up” a disabled child. Other rooms, such as sensory rooms would be permitted under the legislation “if there’s no stigma associated with it.”
Oxford School District is very familiar with these types of sensory rooms, as their district does not allow any “cooler rooms” in their schools, but instead uses healing sensory rooms.
“All of our buildings have special needs programs. None of our buildings have cool down rooms, but we do have sensory rooms where kids go. We have swings, ball pits and different activities,” said Denise Sweat, Oxford Assistant Superintendent of Student Services.
Sensory rooms are used very similarly to “cooler rooms” in that they are both used for therapeutic reasons. Instead of solid colored padded walls found in “cooler rooms”, sensory rooms contain objects and activities that can calm or stimulate senses to address emotional, tactile, and physical issues. Sensory rooms are becoming mainstream in U.S. schools and are being used for the general student population.
“Students participate in sensory activities with a para pro, teachers or multiple children at the same time, but no, we do not have padded rooms where kids are placed,” said Sweat. “All of our para pros meet the Highly Qualified Status through the State of Michigan Standards.”
Sensory rooms are not only gaining popularity with students, but with a universal audience for special needs children and adults alike.
On April 12, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s hometown airline, Delta, launched their first sensory room to provide a tranquil space for their customers on the autism spectrum.
Delta was looking to improve their airline experience for everyone, including their special needs flyers. The sensory room includes rocking chairs, ball pits and other sensory-engaging activities.