$3.6M In MA State Grants Target Student 'Time-Out Room' Alternatives

BOSTON — The state is committing $3.6 million in grants for 78 school districts, charter schools, collaboratives and special education centers across the Commonwealth to examine the use of, and potentially phase out, so-called "time-out rooms" as a means to deal with students during periods when they become dysregulated.

Time-out is a behavioral support strategy used in schools to help students keep calm, and some schools use specific rooms for this purpose. The grants are intended for districts and schools to train staff in de-escalation strategies, positive behavior interventions, trauma-informed teaching , and alternatives to the use of time-out rooms.

The grants are also intended to help schools develop practices to build positive relationships, resolve conflicts, and foster students' sense of belonging, in an effort to de-escalate behaviors that lead to the use of time-out rooms.

"This funding will help educators reduce the use of time-out rooms and use student-centered behavioral support strategies that promote belonging and inclusion," said Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler.

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Updated Department of Elementary and Secondary Education regulations define a "time-out" scenario as a seclusion scenario in which staff members must be immediately available to the student and should only be used as a "last resort."

The Healey administration said the grant is designed to help recipients align local practices with state regulations; strengthen data collection, oversight, and reporting; and reduce schools' reliance on time-out rooms.

The grant recipients are:

• ACCEPT Education Collaborative (in Natick): $50,000
• Acton-Boxborough Regional School District: $50,000
• Arlington School District: $50,000
• Assabet Valley Collaborative (in Marlborough): $50,000
• Attleboro School District: $50,000
• Bedford School District: $50,000
• Bellingham School District: $50,000
• Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School (in Adams): $50,000
• Bi-County Collaborative (in Walpole): $50,000
• Braintree School District: $50,000
• Branches School of the Berkshires (in Pittsfield): $50,000
• Canton School District: $50,000
• Cape Cod Collaborative (in Osterville): $50,000
• CAPS Collaborative (in Westminster): $50,000
• Chicopee School District: $50,000
• Collaborative for Regional Educational Service and Training (CREST) (in Andover): $50,000
• Danvers School District: $50,000
• Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District: $50,000
• Fairhaven School District: $50,000
• Falmouth School District: $38,800
• Framingham School District: $50,000
• Franklin School District: $50,000
• Gloucester School District: $50,000
• Granby School District: $26,141
• Haverhill School District: $50,000
• KIPP Academy Lynn Charter School: $50,000
• Latham Centers (in Brewster): $17,400
• Leominster School District: $50,000
• Leverett School District: $19,450
• Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative (in West Springfield): $40,580
• Ludlow School District: $35,495
• Lynn School District: $50,000
• MAB Community Services (in Brookline): $50,000
• Martha’s Vineyard School District: $45,392
• Maynard School District: $50,000
• Nashoba Learning Group (in Bedford): $50,000
• New England Adolescent Research Institute (in Easthampton): $50,000
• New England Center for Children (in Southborough): $50,000
• New Salem-Wendell School District: $25,248
• Newton School District: $50,000
• North Adams School District: $50,000
• North Brookfield School District: $14,780
• Northampton School District: $50,000
• Northborough-Southborough School District: $50,000
• Northborough School District: $50,000
• Northshore Education Consortium (in Beverly): $50,000
• Norton School District: $50,000
• Oxford School District: $33,000
• Pilgrim Area Collaborative (in Plymouth): $50,000
• Randolph School District: $50,000
• Rochester School District: $50,000
• Salem School District: $50,000
• Salem Academy Charter School: $50,000
• SEEM Collaborative (in Stoneham): $49,919
• South Coast Educational Collaborative (in Swansea): $50,000
• South Shore Educational Collaborative (in Hingham): $50,000
• Southborough School District: $50,000
• Southeastern Massachusetts Educational Collaborative (in Dartmouth): $50,000
• Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District: $40,000
• Springdale Education Center (in Chicopee): $50,000
• Springfield School District: $50,000
• Springfield Preparatory Charter School: $9,000
• St. Ann’s Home (in Methuen): $50,000
• Seven Hills Foundation/Stetson School (in Barre): $50,000
• Taunton School District: $50,000
• The Education Cooperative (TEC) (in East Walpole): $50,000
• The Guild for Human Services (in Concord): $50,000
• Triton Regional School District: $50,000
• Walker (in Needham): $50,000
• Waltham School District: $50,000
• Watertown School District: $50,000
• Wayland School District: $50,000
• Webster School District: $50,000
• West Bridgewater School District: $43,000
• Weymouth School District: $28,415
• Whitney Academy (in East Freetown): $50,000
• Woburn School District: $50,000
• Worcester School District: $50,000

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