Parents and advocates of special education students pushed for new rules to curb the use of seclusion during behavior outbursts
By John-Henry Doucette
The number of student seclusions declined by nearly half in Virginia Beach last school year, after the division banned the use of dedicated isolation rooms in public school buildings.”
Seclusions seemed to have all but ended after the change was made in February, according to preliminary data provided to the school board in June. Just one student was secluded in the final months of the school year.
Data obtained from the division through a records request shows the number of seclusions shrank from 271 in 2024-25 to 147 in 2025-26, a 46% decrease for a division that previously reported the highest number among Virginia’s public schools…