Reset rooms are reducing behavior problems in Rutherford County elementary schools

Rutherford County Schools (RCS) leaders say reset rooms are helping prevent behavior problems in elementary schools.Reset rooms are designated safe areas where students can go to regulate their emotions and behavior. The rooms also allow students to have quiet time which is another strategy for de-escalation.District Special Education District Coordinator Annie Ralston told school board members at Monday’s work session that over the fall semester, there were 1,432 instances of students using the reset rooms to take a break. Only 349 of those instances, or roughly 25 percent, escalated to involving an administrator.“It’s not students with disabilities that are the only ones using it, it’s all students. It’s even adults as I have witnessed in some buildings who go in there and just calm down for just a second,” said Ralston.The board approved adding reset rooms to elementary schools across the district last year.  Members praised the decrease in administrator interventions and the fact that students are taking advantage of this resource.“I’ve witnessed this reset room where the kids have gone to the room, and they use it to kind of calm themselves. It takes them a little bit to get there, but at least they have that space to do that, so I think it’s a brilliant idea and I’m glad we have that,” said board member Frances Rosales.There are currently no plans to add reset rooms to middle and high schools in Rutherford County.Rosales suggested district leaders consider creating a pilot program to add the rooms to targeted middle and high schools.“If an issue with funding, then start out with the schools the most problems with this and then roll it out as a pilot program and then see if the following year, we can get the funding to roll it out throughout the whole entire county for out middle schools and high schools,” said Rosales.