Education Minister Hekia Parata plans to make the use of seclusion in schools illegal.
Thursday's announcement follows revelations that schools have been using seclusion rooms as a form of discipline. At one school Wellington, a special needs student was put in the room 13 times over nine days.
Seclusion is defined as the practice of a student being involuntarily placed alone in a room from which they cannot freely exit or believe they cannot freely exit.
Solitary confinement is already prohibited under early childhood regulations, but the proposed legislation will also include early childhood education services.
The Chief Ombudsman is currently investigating the use of the rooms in schools and any Government wrongdoing surrounding their use.
The Ministry of Education is also sending out guidelines to schools about how to deal with challenging behaviour without the use of seclusion rooms, and make it clear that they should not be used.
"It's important to note that seclusion is not the same as 'time out', where a student voluntarily takes themselves to an agreed space or unlocked room, like a sensory room, to calm down, or when a teacher prompts a disruptive student to work in another space," says Ms Parata.
"I recognise that schools need support to deal with challenging behaviour, and that's why the advisory has developed a set of guidelines. Any school that needs help with these issues, the Ministry of Education will provide it".
Ms Parata called the use of seclusion rooms "unacceptable" and "intolerable".
She will ask Parliament's education and science committee to add the legislation to the Education (Update) Amendment Bill.
Newshub.
