Tell Us Why You Support the Keeping All Students Safe Act
and why others should as well
We have an opportunity right now to protect children, support educators, and change the culture of our schools. The Keeping All Students Safe Act has strong support from disability, civil rights, and education organizations, but it will only become law if we build a loud, sustained public demand for action. Please take a few minutes today to record and submit your 30 to 60-second video sharing why you support KASSA. Together, we can help end restraint and seclusion and keep all students safe.
Our Mission
Our mission is to inform changes in policy and practice to reduce and eliminate the use of punitive discipline and outdated behavioral management approaches and end the school-to-prison pipeline. (Learn more about our mission)
Search Our Site
We have a wealth of information and resources available on our website. Please enter a search term in the box below to search our site.
About seclusion and restraint
Restraint and seclusion are crisis management strategies that are used in many schools across the nation and the world. Physical Restraint is exactly what it sounds like; it is a personal restriction that immobilizes or reduces the ability of a student to move his or her torso, arms, legs, or head freely. Seclusion is the involuntary confinement of a student alone in a room or area from which the student is physically prevented from leaving. These interventions are dangerous and have led to serious injuries and even death in students, teachers, and staff.
According to federal guidance, restraint and/or seclusion should never be used except in situations where a child’s behavior poses an imminent danger of serious physical harm to self or others, and restraint and seclusion should be avoided to the greatest extent possible without endangering the safety of students and staff.
-
If Not Seclusion and Restraint, Then What? A Better Way Forward for Students and Educators
You are not alone if your first reaction to criticism of restraint and seclusion is, “You don’t understand the kids we support,” or, “What do you expect us to do when a child kicks us?” Many educators arrive at “If not seclusion and restraint, then what?” from a place of exhaustion, moral injury, and fear.…
News and Stories
Read some of our latest news and stories. We publish stories every week from parents, caregivers, self-advocates, teachers, administrators, occupational therapists, social workers, school counselors, psychologists, and other related professionals.
-
Evaluating Disability‑Inclusive Education Frameworks Across Countries
This paper provides a comprehensive comparative analysis of inclusive education frameworks across New Zealand, Australia, Canada, India, and the United Kingdom, benchmarked against the United States’ Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Drawing exclusively from country‑specific policy documents and scholarly literature, the paper examines each nation’s legislative foundations, implementation structures, and conceptual approaches to disability.…
Time to read:
30–44 minutes -
My Students Understand. Why Don’t Some Adults Get It?
Of those things people recognize me by at this point, yesterday one of my 4th graders pointed at it and asked, “What do ALL those words mean?” Not just one—every single one. So instead of brushing it off, we sat down and talked about it, and honestly, it turned into one of the most meaningful…
Time to read:
2–4 minutes -
Initiating, Implementing, Influential Restorative Justice on Campus: A Service-Learning Project Proposal
This service-learning project, Initiating, Implementing, Influential Restorative Justice on Campus, is inspired by the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint to address the ongoing need for more inclusive and effective behavioral support systems within the public education system. Current disciplinary approaches, including zero-tolerance policies, school suspension, and reliance on school resource officers, have been shown to…
Time to read:
17–26 minutes -
When the Mind Can Only Take Us So Far, the Body Brings Us Back Home: What Lives Under the Challenges We Seek to Understand
I remember sitting in my daughter’s room during a moment of overwhelm, saying the supportive things I’d read in the books, trying a different approach to the situation, and allowing her to have space to unravel. I remember that forced calm inside of me that I perfected in my career as a nurse, and noticing…
Time to read:
11–16 minutes -
The Kids Outside the Box
Viewing pictures of seclusion rooms and plywood seclusion boxes, videos of small children surrounded with mats or blocked into small spaces, quite literally turns my stomach. When I see these things, I imagine the horror the child must feel, enclosed, with no idea when, or really if, they will be released. The United States Department…
Time to read:
2–3 minutes -
Restorative Justice and Socioemotional Development in Children and Adolescents
Restorative justice has become increasingly important in educational and youth-centered settings because of the focus on healing relationships, promoting accountability, and encouraging empathy rather than relying solely on punishment. In schools and juvenile justice programs, restorative practices are often used to reduce harmful behavior, strengthen communication, and create emotionally supportive environments for children and adolescents.…
Time to read:
8–12 minutes
Speaking
Hire us to speak at your next event or conference.
No Consent
Put your school on notice with a no consent letter.
Research
Read our latest research articles and news.
Make a Donation
Your contribution is more than just a donation; it helps us create safer schools for students, teachers, and staff. Your donation helps us promote a trauma-informed, neuroscience-aligned, relationship-driven approach to supporting all children. We can and must do better for our children.
