By Sheldon Spackman

Supporting Students

Red Deer Public Schools pleased with Student Support Rooms pilot

Jun 27, 2019 | 3:45 PM

A Red Deer Public Schools pilot project aimed at offering specialized assistance for students-in-need is being deemed a success.

Bruce Buruma, director of community relations, says their Student Support Rooms one-year pilot was offered in six different schools over the past year.

“We have spaces set aside for students who are maybe going through a rough patch during the day and it provides them a space where they can just regulate their behavior,” he explains.

“Sometimes that’s a room that just allows them to cuddle-up in a corner, sometimes that means that if they’re a little angry, they can get some of that anger out so that it can be out of their system and they can get back to a regular place in a regular time.

“It’s a way of helping and support them effectively being able to work with a range of behaviours.”

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Buruma says they’ve seen some strong results and real improvements in students’ behavior as a result of these rooms.

“I think every one of us at some point in the day just needs a little bit of a break, we need to de-stress, we just need to regulate how we’re behaving and this provides the place to do it,” adds Buruma.

“It’s a place that’s better than doing it in the middle of a classroom or in a hallway. It allows them a space where they can deal with that themselves and with the support of a caring adult whose also part of those rooms.”

Buruma says it’s an initiative they plan to continue.

“Schools have been able to see the results and as we’ve had positive feedback from students and parents and staff, other schools are looking to add this as another space and place to help kids achieve their best,” he points out.

“Some of these children were having some real difficult times functioning in classrooms and that made it difficult not only for that child but the other students in the classroom as well as staff that were in the room. By just giving them this space and allowing them to better understand how they can deal with their behaviours and their moods and their ups and downs they have throughout the day, they’ve been able to manage that much better.”

It’s important to note, Buruma says, that these are not so-called ‘seclusion rooms.’

“Earlier in the school year there were some concerns about seclusion rooms in some school jurisdictions,” he explains. “These are not seclusion rooms, we call them Student Support Rooms. We’ve actually shared what we are doing with these facilities with Alberta Education and they’re totally fine with the way they’re operating.”

Buruma adds, for example, there are no locks on the doors.

“Students can enter and leave the room as they need to and as they wish,” says Buruma. “Therefore, it’s not the seclusion rooms that were earlier part of the news, so Alberta Education is fully supportive of what we’re doing with that.”