The recent discovery of a so-called “timeout box” in a North Country school rightly shocked New Yorkers. No child should ever be confined, isolated or traumatized in the name of discipline. The swift move to ban this practice is both necessary and long overdue.
But if we stop there, we will have failed to learn the most important lesson from this disturbing incident.
Timeout boxes did not appear in a vacuum. They are a symptom of a school system that too often leaves educators without the tools, training, staffing and supports they need to respond to student behavior in ways that are safe and effective. Banning one abusive practice is an important first step. But it does not prevent schools from turning to the next harmful or ineffective tactic when deeper problems remain unaddressed…