DES MOINES, IOWA (March 4, 2019) — There will be a public hearing tomorrow, Tuesday, March 5, to discuss the use of controversial seclusion rooms in Iowa’s public schools. The hearing will be from 9:00 to 10:00AM in the State Board Room, Second Floor, Grimes State Office Building, East 14th Street and Grand Avenue, Des Moines. ACLU of Iowa Policy Director Daniel Zeno will be speaking, among others.
We are glad that the Iowa State Board of Education is proposing new rules on seclusion rooms in public schools. The ACLU of Iowa has been concerned about the use of these rooms over the past two years, and we plan to endorse the new proposed rules.
• Find out more about the history of seclusion rooms in Iowa and our position on them here.
• The proposed rules can be found here.
• The problems with seclusion rooms, including stories of children who were harmed by them, were included in a Cedar Rapids Gazette investigative series.
