Iowa Administrative Code › Agency 281 - Education Department › Title XVII - Protection of Children › Chapter 103 - Corporal Punishment, Physical Restraint, Seclusion, and Other Physical Contact With Students › Rule 281-103.9 - Seclusion Room Requirements

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 3, July 24, 2024
Schools must meet the following standards for the structural
				  and physical requirements for rooms used for seclusion:
(1) The room meets and complies with all
				applicable building, fire, safety, and health codes and standards and with the
				other provisions of this rule.
(2)
				The dimensions of the room are of adequate width, length, and height to allow
				the student to move about and recline safely and comfortably, considering the
				age, size, and physical and mental condition of the student being secluded. The
				interior of the room is to be no less than 56 square feet, and the distance
				between opposing walls is to be no less than 7 feet across.
(3) The room is not isolated from school
				employees or the facility.
(4) Any
				wall that is part of the room is part of the structural integrity of the room
				(not free-standing cells or portable units attached to the existing wall or
				floor).
(5) The room provides a
				means of continuous visual and auditory monitoring of the student.
(6) The room is adequately lighted with
				switches to control lighting located outside the room.
(7) The room is adequately ventilated with
				switches to control fans or other ventilation devices located outside the
				room.
(8) The room maintains a
				temperature within the normal human comfort range and consistent with the rest
				of the building with temperature controls located outside of the
				room.
(9) The room is clean and
				free of objects and fixtures that could be potentially dangerous to a student,
				including protruding, exposed, or sharp objects, exposed pipes, electrical
				wiring, or other objects in the room that could be used by students to harm
				themselves or to climb up a wall.
(10) The room contains no free-standing
				furniture.
(11) The room is
				constructed of materials safe for its intended use, including wall and floor
				coverings designed to prevent injury to the student. Interior finish of the
				seclusion room will comply with the state and local building and fire codes and
				standards.
(12) Doors will open
				outward. The door will not be fitted with a lock unless it releases
				automatically when not physically held in the locked position by personnel on
				the outside of the door and permits the door to be opened from the inside.
				Doors, when fully open, do not reduce the required corridor width by more than
				seven inches. Doors in any position do not reduce the required width by more
				than one-half.
(13) The room is
				able to be opened from the inside immediately upon the release of a security
				mechanism held in place by constant human contact.
(14) Windows, if any, are transparent and
				made of unbreakable or shatterproof glass or plastic.
(15) By July 1, 2021, schools will consult
				with appropriate state and local building, fire, safety, and health officials
				to ensure the room complies with all applicable codes and standards (for
				example, heating, ventilation, lighting, accessibility, dimensions, access,
				entry and exit, fire suppression, etc.), and maintain documentation of such
				consultation and compliance and approval.
(16) Assuming approval pursuant to subrule
				103.9(15), a school may continue to use a room that otherwise complies with
				this rule but for subrule 103.9(2) for a period of five years from January 20,
				2021, or whenever the portion of the school containing the room is renovated or
				remodeled, whichever occurs first.