The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has adopted new rules for the use of so-called time-out rooms in public schools. Most of us, especially those who have raised kids in recent years, know that a "time out" is a method for disciplining an unruly or out-of-control child, usually by sitting the child down for a cooling-off period.

When I was a child, a teacher could send a disruptive child to the principal's office, make the child stand in the corner or outside in the hallway, place their head on the desk, keep the child after school, or even use corporal punishment.

Principals had more latitude than today and could issue a detention or suspension when a child misbehaved.

Times have changed.

Massachusetts DESE Approves New "Time-Out" Rules For Schools
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NBC 10 Boston reported that DESE voted "to pass new regulations around the use of controversial 'time-out' rooms in schools with the goal of preventing unnecessary trauma for the most vulnerable students."

The station reported, "The new rules attempt to better distinguish between a timeout, which is voluntary and permitted under state law – and confinement or 'seclusion' – which is involuntary and previously had been prohibited."

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The Boston Herald reported the DESE vote ensures time-out spaces "are safe and unlocked and seclusion is only used in emergency situations."

The Herald reported the new regulations require that "A room or area used for a time-out must be an appropriate size for the student, appropriately lighted, ventilated, heated or cooled, and free of dangerous objects or fixtures." A child has the freedom to leave the time-out space.

The new regulations, as outlined by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, take effect in the 2026-2027 school year.

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