Recent statements by some educators and lawmakers in Colorado, as reported in ChalkBeat Colorado, frame seclusion as a “last resort,” an “important tool,” and a “safe and caring option” to prevent physical restraint in schools. These characterizations are not only misleading but dangerously minimize the well-documented harms of seclusion. Despite claims and state laws that seclusion should only be used in actual emergencies—when a child poses imminent, serious physical harm to themselves or others—the reality in schools across the country tells a very different story.

Seclusion Is Not Used Only as a Last Resort

While policies and laws often restrict seclusion to crisis situations or measures of last resort, the evidence shows that seclusion is frequently misapplied. Reports and investigations have found that seclusion is used for reasons far short of “imminent serious physical harm,” including noncompliance, minor disruptive behaviors, and as a form of discipline. The bar for “imminent serious physical harm” is intentionally high: it means an immediate threat of a potentially life-threatening injury, not mere disruption or refusal to follow directions. Yet, loopholes in the state laws that govern the use of restraint and seclusion and lack of oversight mean seclusion is often used when a student is simply noncompliant, not dangerous. In 2019, a ProPublica investigation found that Illinois schools routinely used isolation and seclusion rooms to punish students for minor misbehavior or noncompliance, not just for safety emergencies as required by law, with more than a third of incidents lacking any documented safety reason. The investigation revealed widespread violations and lack of oversight, with children often left terrified and alone for extended periods, leading to legislative efforts to restrict or ban the practice. This story and these findings have been repeated in numerous stories from across the nation.

Seclusion Is Not an “Important Tool”—It Is an Abusive Practice

Seclusion is not a therapeutic intervention. Seclusion is not an evidence-based practice nor is it a trauma-informed practice. It is the involuntary confinement of a child alone in a room, they are prohibited from leaving. Far from being an “important tool,” research and expert consensus show that seclusion is deeply harmful. Children subjected to seclusion experience severe trauma, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The U.S. Department of Education and leading mental health organizations have found no evidence that seclusion is effective in reducing behaviors of concern; instead, it often exacerbates them.

Seclusion and restraints have no therapeutic value, cause human suffering, and frequently result in severe emotional and physical harm, and even death. – Mental Health America

Seclusion Is Not a “Safe and Caring Option”

To describe seclusion as “safe and caring” is to ignore its reality. Seclusion is, by definition, involuntary and isolating. Forcibly placing a child in a seclusion room typically requires physical restraint to move them against their will, meaning that most children subjected to seclusion experience both restraint and seclusion. The process itself is forceful and traumatic, and the isolation that follows can cause lasting psychological damage. Children have soiled themselves out of fear, developed nightmares, and suffered ongoing trauma as a result of being shut in these rooms.

Being restrained or secluded can be a deeply traumatic experience, leading to long-term emotional and psychological harm. -Bridgette Hamstead

In the ChalkBeat Colorado news story, Representative Jacque Phillips, a former teacher and an attorney who represents students with disabilities, said that “seclusion is sometimes the best option to protect students and preserve their dignity in times of crisis”. Let’s be clear: there is nothing dignified about being physically forced into a small room, alone and afraid, while someone holds the door shut. This is a harmful and unnecessary practice that leads to long-term harm and increased stress responses.

Disproportionate and Discriminatory Impact

Seclusion is not applied evenly. Data show that students with disabilities and Black and brown students are disproportionately subjected to seclusion and restraint. This is a civil rights issue, a human rights issue, and a disability rights issue. According to the United States Department of Education, students with disabilities, Black students, boys, and students of two or more races are disproportionately subjected to seclusion and restraint in U.S. public schools. For example, in the 2020-21 school year, students with disabilities made up only 14% of the total K-12 enrollment but accounted for 81% of physical restraints and 75% of seclusions.  

Seclusion Is Not Necessary—States Have Banned It

Several states, including Georgia, Hawaii, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Texas, have banned seclusion in public schools, demonstrating that it is not a necessary practice. These states have found better ways to support students in crisis, such as trauma-informed, neuroscience-aligned, neurodiversity-affirming, relationship-driven, and collaborative approaches. The existence of these bans proves that schools can—and must—keep all students safe without resorting to abusive practices.

Final Thoughts

Seclusion is not a last resort, not an important tool, and never a safe or caring option. It is an outdated, abusive practice that causes severe harm and trauma to some of our most vulnerable children. The path forward is clear: schools must eliminate seclusion, invest in trauma-informed, neuroscience-aligned, neurodiversity-affirming, relationship-driven, and collaborative supports, and ensure that every child is treated with dignity and respect.

In a recent letter from the Secretary of Education, Miguel A. Cardona, Ed.D., states, “Restraint and seclusion practices can have a lasting and negative impact on children. There is ample evidence of significant harms to students due to these practices, including serious physical injury, emotional trauma, and even death.[ii] Schools and early childhood programs should do everything possible to align their practices to ensure all children are educated in learning environments that are safe, supportive, and responsive to their unique needs.”

We thank Representative Regina English for introducing this bill to end the use of seclusion in Colorado schools, and hope to see it reintroduced again in the future.

We can and must do better! We can eliminate seclusion, reduce the use of physical restraint, and create safer and more supportive schools for students, teachers, and staff.