Disability-rights activists are working to end "quiet rooms," an archaic-sounding punishment used to silence troubled schoolchildren

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Some schools call it the time-out room. Or the quiet room. But in Middletown, Conn., it's known to many as the "scream room."

Students -- typically those with disabilities -- are put in the small, windowless room as a means of controlling their behavior. The room's cinderblock walls aren't thick enough to drown out the sounds from within, according to this story from the Hartford Courant. In order to be placed in the room, the student usually must have an Individualized Education Plan (known as an IEP) that allows for this type of isolation as a form of "treatment." I put treatment in quotes in this context, given that special education experts say "there was no evidence that secluding a child had any therapeutic value," according to the Courant story.

"These are archaic methods to control behavior and to try to keep people safe," said Jane Hudson, a senior staff attorney with the National Disability Rights Network in Washington, in the Courant story. "Can you imagine how frightening this is for a 6-year-old? Of course, they are going to react, that's why the screaming occurs: 'Get me out of here!'"

To be sure, this is an issue far beyond the borders of Middletown, which has a K-12 enrollment of about 5,000. Advocates for children with disabilities are fighting these types of intervention techniques at the local, state and national level. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has introduced legislation that would prohibit public schools from using "scream rooms" as a means of controlling or disciplining students.