Iowa school district promises to end seclusion rooms use

By DAVID PITT
Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s second largest district, improperly and repeatedly shut students with disabilities in seclusion rooms and restrained them in violation of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, federal authorities said Monday. The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the federal prosecutor based in Cedar Rapids announced a settlement agreement with the Cedar Rapids district in which school officials have agreed to end the use of seclusion rooms and reform its restraint practices within 30 days. A justice department investigation covering three school years ending in 2021 found nearly 5,000 students with disabilities had been shut in seclusion rooms, restrained or transported away from class depriving students of hundreds of hours of instruction time.