POLAND, Ohio (WKBN) – Poland Local Schools are in the early planning stages of building a sensory room for students.

It will be inside the McKinley Elementary school.

The National Council for Special Education says these spaces are great resources and can help students learn to self-regulate their sensory input.

Hockenberry says these are beneficial for all students.

“Sometimes students on the playground, something could happen that could set them off, make them very upset and instead of doing a timeout, instead of doing, you know something, we could get them into the sensory room and there’s a lot of positive interactions there with things,” said Hockenberry.

Poland has used sensory tools in the past. The former Poland Union Elementary created a sensory path in the hallway for students. Educators said it was a nice “brain break” for the kids.

Hockenberry says there is a lot of support from parents. Saying they were the ones who asked for it and they are go getters when they want something.

One local breakfast place is serving up a dish to help in the fundraising efforts.

House of Bennys on the 100 block of South Main Street in Poland is serving up a dish they are calling the “Bulldog Benny.” The dish is essentially an Eggs Benedict with peppers and hollandaise served with potatoes.

Half of the proceeds earned from the item will go towards the sensory room. The restaurant says the fundraiser will continue through October.

Owner Sonya Diaz said she wanted to get involved because she has seen the benefits of such spaces.

“They’re one of the only schools that don’t have one. From what I’m hearing, I don’t have children, so I really don’t know what’s going on in schools. But, I felt the need to reach out when they reached out to,” said House of Bennys owner Sonya Diaz.

Hockenberry said he is extremely grateful for the ongoing community support.

Right now, they don’t have a time table on how long the project will take or what it will cost.