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Our mission is to inform changes in policy and practice to reduce and eliminate the use of punitive discipline and outdated behavioral management approaches and end the school-to-prison pipeline.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)
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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.
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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.
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In the Midst of a Trigger, our Signals Dance: An Adoptive Mother’s Journey
On my journey as an adoptive mother, I have had the honor of being challenged beyond my own limiting beliefs, values, and attitudes about myself and my world. In the absolute joy that comes with parenting, I have also met my edges where strategies and knowledge made zero difference. Those precious moments showed up in…
Time to read:
4–6 minutes -
Tell Us Why You Support the Keeping All Students Safe Act and Why Others Should Too
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…
Time to read:
3–4 minutes -
Leveling the Playing Field in School Safety: National Data Reveal Who Is Most Harmed by Restraint, Seclusion, and Corporal Punishment
We want to share with you an honors thesis project by former Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint intern Lauren Sukhu. The thesis offers powerful, data‑driven evidence that restraint, seclusion, and corporal punishment in U.S. public schools are not used equally; they fall most heavily on students with disabilities, Black students, students of two or more…
Time to read:
4–6 minutes -
A Parent’s Story: Seclusion, Anxiety, and Broken Trust
I am the parent of an 8-year-old child with autism who attends a Connecticut public school. Like many families, I trusted that the school would provide a safe and supportive environment where my child could learn, regulate, and thrive. My child had supports in place, including supervision and strategies to help manage sensory and behavioral…
Time to read:
2–4 minutes -
Approaching Seven Years of the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint
April is a meaningful month for me and for the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint. On April 23rd, it will be seven years since I started AASR. What began as a small effort to speak out against the harmful use of restraint and seclusion has grown into a national nonprofit and community working every day…
Time to read:
2–3 minutes -
Autism Acceptance Month Is Not a Celebration—It’s a Reckoning
Every April, the world turns its attention to autism. The posts go up, the slogans circulate, and suddenly everyone is talking about “awareness” again. But if I’m being honest, awareness has never been the issue. Autism is not hidden. It is not rare. It is not misunderstood because people haven’t heard of it. It is…
Time to read:
3–5 minutes
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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.
