Monday, April 4, 2022 Press Release

From Superintendent Todd Crandall:

Last week certain allegations were publicized by a school administrator concerning the District’s
treatment of children in the elementary school; specifically, he included an allegation about improper
use of a de-escalation room. The community has raised concerns and has asked important questions
concerning those allegations. A robust investigation has already been commenced, and we hope to
have it completed shortly. A number of the allegations made are utterly FALSE and mandate an
immediate response.

The District does not now, nor has it ever used an isolation cell, nor has it ever locked a child in a room
alone. The District does utilize a de-escalation room. This is a widely accepted method of addressing
the needs of children who simply require some time alone in a quiet place to gather their thoughts and
composure so that they are able to safely re-join their peers in the classroom. It is by no means
intended, nor has it ever been used as a form of punishment or have any negative implications. The
New York State Education Department authorizes the use of such rooms in its regulations.

Upon receipt of the allegations on March 29, 2022, the District suspended the use of the de-escalation
room pending a full and complete investigation into the allegations.

Earlier today, someone asserted that the District “tried” to utilize the de-escalation room this morning
for a child. That is FALSE. Instead, the District contacted the student’s parents, and the child was
retrieved by the parents and taken home for the day.

There has been an allegation that children have been locked in the room. That is also FALSE. The room
DOES NOT lock from the inside. A person CANNOT be locked in the room. The Erie-2 BOCES
Coordinator of Health and Safety inspected the room today (April 4, 2022) and confirmed that the room
is safe. Likewise, the Silver Creek Volunteer Fire Chief inspected the room earlier today and confirmed
that it meets all applicable fire codes and regulations. He also confirmed that a person cannot be locked
in the room. An investigator from the New York State police inspected the room earlier today, raised no
concerns as to the safety of the room, and the District will fully cooperate with any law enforcement
investigation if one is commenced.

The de-escalation room itself is located on the first floor near the Elementary main office of the school.
The de-escalation room is located inside one of the administrative offices. Any time a child is in the
room, the child is monitored. The room is well ventilated and has a large window. (see photos below).
The room is NOT soundproof, so any child in the room can be heard by the monitor at all times. This was
confirmed by both the BOCES Safety inspector and the Fire Chief. Additionally, the two interior walls are
painted cinder block walls just like the entire Director of Elementary Programming administrative office
and all the exterior walls in the Elementary classrooms. Lastly, the Fire Chief and the BOCES Safety
inspector confirmed that there is not a “razor blade” like mechanism located under the bed in the room.

Further information will be forthcoming as it is available as the investigation proceeds