Iowa City schools to stop using padded seclusion rooms

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa school district accused of sending students to secluded, padded rooms for even minor infractions said it will stop using the disciplinary measure by the start of the next school year.

Iowa City school Superintendent Stephen Murley said in an email Tuesday night that the district has eliminated seven of its seclusion rooms and plans to eliminate the rest by next fall. Officials have said the rooms are primarily intended to hold students who pose threats to themselves or others.