Dubuque Senior, Hempstead High Schools to offer students ‘retreat rooms’

DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) - Students at Dubuque Senior and Hempstead High Schools will soon have access to brain health “retreat rooms” that will provide space to process emotions and stress during the school day.

The Foundation for Dubuque Public Schools on Monday announced the rooms will be offered starting on Jan. 18.

Debi Butler, leader of the nonprofit Brain Health Now, and Andy Butler funded the rooms in collaboration with the Foundation for Dubuque Public Schools, and local businesses and nonprofits.

“Many students in our community go to school each day and try to cope with stressors and traumas in their lives while learning,” Debi Butler said in a news release. “Other districts that have created these types of rooms have seen the benefits: Students who use them are able to decompress and return to the classroom focused on their schoolwork. To successfully do this we are aiming to end the stigma of students reaching out for help when they are experiencing a brain health issue. The brain is an organ that can get sick too and we need to care for it just like the rest of our body.”