VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia Beach School Board is considering eliminating seclusion rooms from district schools, a move that could significantly change how certain students are disciplined.
During Tuesday night's meeting, board members discussed the future of the five seclusion rooms currently operating in the district. Three rooms are located at Renaissance Academy, the division's alternative education center, and two are at Windsor Woods Elementary School.
The discussion centered on whether these specialized spaces should be removed entirely from Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
"There are behaviors across the division that are very, very, very difficult to deal with specifically and especially when you're talking about students who have not been diagnosed with a special education need that clearly cannot be in a general education setting we still are able to have procedures in place to safely get that child out of the building if necessary so that we can continue the learning environment," Melinda J. Rogers said.
Rogers serves as a Virginia Beach City Public Schools board member.
The school board did not take formal action during the meeting. Officials said a vote on whether to eliminate seclusion rooms is expected at a future meeting.
