School TimeOut Rooms need special door hardware in Michigan.

School timeout rooms have become a necessity for school districts in Michigan.  The Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education has recently updated the 2006 policy which the  State of Michigan School Board  approved on April 18, 2017:  Supporting Student Behavior: Standards for the Emergency use of Seclusion and Restraint,  to comply with Michigan Department of Education standards for accessibility.  This is a comprehensive set of standards which includes this excerpt regarding timeout rooms.

“Exclusionary Timeout, which occurs when the student is removed
from the immediate instructional setting in response to behavior that
requires immediate and direct cessation. This form of timeout can take
place within the same classroom or in a nearby location supervised by
an adult.”

Placing a student in a  timeout room for exclusion or seclusion, necessary for the safety of the teachers and other students in a classroom when a student or young adult  becomes aggressive is described in Item 5 page 11 of this document. From the teacher’s perspective, struggling to get a combatant student, ( who in some cases may be  larger and stronger than the teacher- who may be punching or using something as a weapon) into a timeout room causes its own problems and so there are a few things to consider about the doors to these rooms.

1) time out latch bolts

According to the established Michigan Department of Education standards, the door handles used for these timeout rooms require that once a student is placed into the timeout room, a person in charge must manually hold the door handle  in order to engage the latch bolt, so that there is constant supervision from just  outside of the room. This could mean that a teacher would be holding the handle shut for 15-20 minutes in some cases while the student settles down. These door handles may be described as locks, even though they do not remain locked.  The latch bolt is retracted while the door is unattended, and remains in the  unlocked position until the handle is activated.  When the handle is activated, the latch bolt projects into the door frame, until the handle is released. Note that it is a latch bolt, which is spring loaded as opposed to a dead bolt, which is not.  In some instances the students inside the rooms may be running and slamming themselves into the doors, so it is important that a strong latch bolt be in place. These types of ADA compliant door handles can be installed to be pushed or pulled (left, right, up or down) to engage the latch bolt.  We recommend the Architectural Builder’s Hardware Manufacuring 6830 Series Time Out Reverse Low Profile Hospital Latch which meets ADA requirements and we use a flat trim on the inside of the room so the student cannot hurt themselves.

2) wide angle door scope- no windows

A wide angle door viewer allows for easier visual supervision of the student inside of the room.  The teacher’s eye does not need to be directly over it as in the case with a small peep, and these 2″ wide door scopes are viable  for up to 7 ft away.  The DS1000 or DS2000 are what we install for a good 168 degree wide angle view.  The view from inside the room is blocked by the image dispersion of the scope.  Windows in these doors are not recommended because they can be broken, and can create more irritation of the student.

3)  out swinging door

We recommend an out swinging door, so that the adult in charge can push to close the door instead of pull.

4)  door closer on outside

The door closer should be installed on the outside of the door so that the student cannot hang on the door closer.

5)  heavy steel gauge door

A heavier steel gauge door can withstand more abuse than the normal 18 gauge steel doors.  We recommend Steelcraft B Series ina 14 gauge steel door, which also  have added steel reinforcements within the door. The Steelcraft B Series door has a steel-stiffened core with visible seams on the hinge and lock edges.  20-gauge vertical steel stiffeners are welded to the inside of one face sheet and bonded to the opposite face. Void areas between the stiffeners are filled with fiber bat insulation which helps with noise reduction.

6)  use a continuous hinge

Continuous hinges for heavier doors offer more support and smoother closing operation. The Ives Steel pin and barrel continuous hinge stretches along the entire length of the frame.

• The unique design distributes the weight of the door along the entire length of the frame,
• Reduced  amount of stress normally associated at top of door and frame on butt hinge applications.
• Keeps the door in constant alignment, eliminating sag
• The design of a continuous hinge eliminates the gap between the door and the frame this helps prevents fingers from being pinched, making it a safer device than traditional hinges
• Higher efficiency and less maintenance,
• Maximizes the value of the opening investment.
• Available in both stainless steel and primed steel to best match specific applications.