If Not Seclusion and Restraint, Then What? A Better Way Forward for Students and Educators
We can and must do better
This article is for educators with questions about our work to reduce the use of restraints and eliminate seclusion. 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?”
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Our mission is to inform changes in policy and practice to reduce and eliminate the use of punitive discipline and outdated behavioral management approaches and end the school-to-prison pipeline.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)
Physical Restraint and Seclusion in Your State
Do you want to learn more about the laws in your state related to the use of physical restraint and seclusion? What can we learn from federal data related to the use of restraint and seclusion? Explore the sections below to learn more.
State Laws
What are the current state laws in your state related to the use of physical restraint and seclusion?
State Data
We now have the Office of Civil Rights 2023–24 data available to explore by state, district or school.
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.
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.
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.
-
What Are Your State’s Laws on Physical Restraint and Seclusion?
What does your state allow when it comes to physically restraining or secluding a child at school? What practices are prohibited? When must a school notify a parent, and what information must be documented after an incident? These are questions families should be able to answer without spending hours searching government websites and trying to…
Time to read:
4–6 minutes -
How PBIS Affected My Internalized Echolalia and Social Status Long-Term
I was the kid who won. Constantly. I was the kid who loved the reward system, figured out exactly how it worked, and became incredibly successful within it. If there was a sticker chart, I wanted the stickers. If there were points, I wanted the points. If there was praise, recognition, a prize, or some…
Time to read:
18–27 minutes -
The Door Opened but the Trauma Followed: My Life After Restraint, Seclusion and Segregation
My name is Chris Hall. I am an autistic adult from Braintree, Massachusetts. Over the years, I have worked with computers, bicycles, and accessible transportation while trying to create a life and a way of working that fit my abilities. Chris Hall with two RadBurro cargo e-bikes used for transportation, mobile repair work, and community…
Time to read:
13–20 minutes -
What My Students Taught Me About Disability
When people find out that I am an autistic ADHD special education teacher, one of the first assumptions I hear is that I must automatically understand all my autistic ADHD students. I understand why people think that. I have lived the experience of being autistic and ADHD. I know what it is like to be…
Time to read:
7–10 minutes -
The Child Welfare Economy: How Group Homes, Behavioral Management, and the Medical Model Can Perpetuate Intergenerational Trauma
Across North America, child welfare systems have increasingly relied on group homes, residential treatment programs, and congregate care settings to manage children and youth who present with complex behavioral, emotional, and mental health challenges. These systems are often justified as necessary responses to trauma, mental illness, aggression, substance use, and placement instability. Yet a growing…
Time to read:
8–12 minutes -
What Happens After the Restraint? The Part We Rarely Talk About
I have spent a lot of time thinking about what happens before a restraint. What happened in the minutes leading up to it? What did the student signal? What changed in the environment? What demands were placed on them? What did the adults do? What warning signs did we miss? But the more I think…
Time to read:
9–14 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.
