MONTAGUE — An investigation of Hillcrest Elementary School by the nonprofit Disability Law Center found no signs of “abuse or neglect” but gave the school at least seven recommendations to better follow state-mandated procedures regarding using of a special calm-down room, Superintendent Michael Sullivan announced this week.
Sullivan said that while the Boston-based advocacy group found no incidents of abuse, it did make several recommendations to improve conditions at Hillcrest, which the law center began investigating in February after a handful of parents complained about the staff putting their children in a small “calm-down room.”
One student had come home with bruises on his forehead after he banged his head on the concrete block walls of the windowless, former storage room, a space where teachers sometimes bring students who become disruptive or violent.
Sullivan told The Recorder in March that the district was looking into padding the room’s concrete walls. The school also painted murals on the walls earlier this year. A survey of other schools in the county at the time showed Hillcrest’s use of the unfurnished room to be spartan compared to similar spaces used by elementary schools for segregating troubled youths.
The law center got involved because it was concerned that the calm-down room might have been used in a discriminatory way for students with disabilities.
“I am happy to report now that after a thorough investigation by the DLC their report states that they have no findings of neglect and abuse,” said Sullivan at the Gill-Montague School Committee meeting Tuesday night. He read an introductory paragraph at the meeting and said that there are seven areas the law center recommended to change for the school to better comply with Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) best practices:
“Our review of the school’s calm down room did not result in major or systemic findings that would warrant issuing a public report. There are some areas in which we believe the school’s practices could be better aligned with the new DESE state regulations and our understanding of best practices in the field,” Sullivan read. “We write to you in a constructive spirit, with the hope that you will consider action on the following topics.”
In response to one school board member asking to elaborate on the recommended areas of improvement, Sullivan said he didn’t have the document with him, but did recall two examples.
The law center found fault with the size of the window in the door of the calm-down room, which teachers sometimes stand outside to supervise students. Sullivan said the law center found that teachers can’t see the entire room from the outside.
The center also recommended keeping a log of the use of the room, which is a practice the school put in place shortly after the organization started its investigation.
Despite repeated requests and a formal public records request filed by The Recorder this week, Sullivan refused to release the full report until at least next Thursday, saying he needed time to draft a response.
Christine Griffin, the center’s director, also declined comment this week and would not provide a copy of the report.
“The recommendations offered us some clarity around some procedures that were helpful and informative,” said Hillcrest Principal Sarah Burstein.