MISSOURI, USA — New data shows just how often Missouri students are being put into what are known as “seclusion rooms” at school. Many school districts said it’s a last resort. Others said that’s not the reality.
Spending time with horses is healing for 16-year-old Frankie Bono. It’s his happy place. It's an escape from the trauma.
"He still has flashbacks," St. Charles mother Tracy Bono said.
It happens when her son Frankie remembers his time in “seclusion rooms.”
They’re often small rooms where children seen as especially disruptive are placed.
“It is discrimination based on disability," Bono said.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, among public school students in the United States, roughly 80% of students subjected to restraint and seclusion were students with disabilities, and about 82% were boys in the 2017-2018 school year, according to the most recent year of federal data available. However, students with disabilities accounted for 13% of the student population, and boys, 51%, nationwide that year.
We interviewed Bono a few years ago after she discovered what happened to Frankie. He has autism.
“They did not document it. They did not tell me only after I pressured them," Bono said.
She now has him in a private school.
“But we really can't afford it," she said.
Right now, she’s suing her son’s former school district, Francis Howell, for discrimination.
We reached out to the Francis Howell School District for comment following Bono’s lawsuit against the district.
A spokesperson told us they cannot comment on pending litigation.
“While that lawsuit was dismissed at the district court level, it is currently being appealed, and the district will not comment on pending litigation,” said Jennifer Jolls, a Francis Howell School District spokesperson.
“It's still being kept as a dirty little secret at these schools," Bono said.
Bono said she believes schools should not use the rooms at all.
But she also said parents around the state tell her educators are using seclusion as punishment. That’s against state law and federal guidelines.
The U.S. Department of Education states that “restraint or seclusion should never be used as punishment or discipline."
“This was one story I heard, my child refused to sharpen his pencil. He was put into the room," Bono said.
A spokesperson with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said per DESE’s model policy, seclusion and restraint should be limited to situations in which the student’s behavior poses a serious threat, such as when they harm themselves or others or when they destroy property.
“Seclusion and restraint policies must be consistent with Section 160.263 … but are otherwise determined at the local school district level ... DESE collects the seclusion and restraint data from school districts," said Mallory McGowin, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s chief communications officer. "By law, DESE is required to create a model policy for school districts."
“What happened to my son, unfortunately, is not an out-of-the-ordinary thing," Bono said.
When we first reported on this topic, the state’s education department didn’t keep track of seclusion rooms. Now, they do.
For the first time, we are seeing how often children are being put in these rooms.
In roughly the past six months in Missouri, data shows there were more than 4,300 incidents of seclusion. Often the same children are being put into these rooms over and over again.
In some cases, the seclusion lasted more than three hours, according to the Missouri Disability Empowerment Foundation citing the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
“It's the tip of the iceberg," Bono said.
The numbers also show seclusion is happening to less than 1% of students in Missouri’s public schools.
The data included in our report is from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, as of Jan. 18. The department releases data monthly.
The Missouri Disability Empowerment Foundation says the department has not revealed a confirmed timeline on when data will be released, but so far, data has been published monthly. They have since published a new report on Feb. 1 that shows an additional 268 incidents of seclusion for a total of 4,628 incidents of seclusion among Missouri’s public school students since July 1. The data shows 735 students were secluded during that time period, with the vast majority of them happening inside classrooms. The department publishes a summary of incidents but does not publish a full breakdown of where they occurred and other details about specific incidents.
The data set as of Jan. 18 was obtained through an open records request by the Missouri Disability Empowerment Foundation.
“That's what they're voluntarily reporting. What are they not reporting?” Bono asked.
Related article: Mom's push to ban 'isolation rooms' for special-needs students heads to MO legislature | ksdk.com
The I-Team talked with at least seven parents across the state who believe many students are suffering in silence.
“That is the problem," said Missouri Rep. Ian Mackey, a Democrat that represents parts of St. Louis and St. Charles counties.
It’s why Mackey created legislation that passed in 2021. It limited the use of seclusion rooms to the most serious incidents. It called on schools to report them.
The problem is that parents tell the I-Team that no one is holding them accountable.
“Does your legislation go far enough?” asked the I-Team's Paula Vasan.
“No. No. We see very clearly it does not," Mackey said.
Vasan asked Mackey whether he believes seclusion rooms in schools are discriminatory.
“They are, they absolutely are," he said.
“Is there a better alternative to seclusion rooms?” asked Vasan.
“Yes," he said.
Mackey requested $1 million in last year’s state budget for more resources for adults in school settings, particularly counselors and mental health professionals.
It’s something Mackey said schools are not prioritizing enough. It means students such as Frankie will deal with the consequences of wounds you cannot see.
Disability advocates we talked with said it’s not just seclusion rooms we need to be worried about. It’s also about restraint.
The data we looked at shows schools broke the law at least eight times when they used a type of restraint known as prone restraint.
Prone restraint is when a student is placed face-down on the floor and pressure is put on their body. It can sometimes last up to 15 minutes.
This type of restraint is prohibited by law in Missouri schools in part because it can make it hard to breathe and cause injury or even death.
It's prohibited by law in Missouri schools.
We asked the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for feedback about the recent data on seclusion and restraint at Missouri schools.
In response to incidents of prone restraint recorded at schools, a DESE spokesperson told us:
“School districts are responsible for implementing a policy on seclusion and restraint that complies with the law and are then responsible for following it with fidelity. When educators or school staff – who are mandatory reporters – have reason to believe child abuse or neglect have occurred, they are required to contact the Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS) Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline. DSS’ Children’s Division investigates reports of abuse or neglect.”
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has another new report about seclusion in schools. It shows a slight increase in the number of schools reporting. Disability advocates say that’s an important step for transparency.
Call the 24-hour Child Abuse Hotline at 800-25-ABUSE (800-252-2873) if you suspect that a child has been harmed or is at risk of being harmed by abuse or neglect.
If you believe a child is in immediate danger of harm, call 911 first.