Washington’s students deserve school environments that are safe, supportive, and dignifying. HB 1795 is a step toward that goal, and the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint supports this bill while calling on lawmakers to go even further by fully banning isolation in Washington’s schools.
Why HB 1795 Matters
HB 1795 was introduced “relating to restraint or isolation of students in public schools and educational programs” and is designed to protect students from physically harmful and emotionally traumatic practices. The bill’s stated purposes are purposes of this act are to: Protect students from physically harmful and emotionally traumatic practices of chemical restraint, mechanical restraint, and isolation; prohibit the use of physical restraint imposed solely for purposes of student discipline or staff convenience; improve the safety and well-being of all staff and students by increasing the training and technical assistance provided to staff; and enhance the public accountabilityof school districts and other providers of public educational services.
HB 1795 applies to all students, those in general and special education, and those served by any “provider of public educational services,” including school districts, educational service districts, institutional education providers, and contracted programs. It also covers all staff of those providers, with narrow exceptions for inpatient health‑care staff.
Key Protections in HB 1795
HB 1795 includes several essential reforms that align with what families, advocates, and researchers have been calling for:
- Bans dangerous restraints, including chemical and mechanical restraints, and any restraint that restricts breathing or blood flow.
- Clarifies that property destruction alone is not a valid reason to restrain a student.
- Continues OSPI’s Restraint Reduction & Isolation Elimination project, already funded for the biennium, so schools have technical assistance to eliminate isolation and prevent restraint.
- Stops construction of new isolation rooms, while still allowing sensory/calming spaces.
Why We Believe the Bill Should Go Further
The Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint supports HB 1795 because it is focused on both protecting students and equipping educators with better tools. At the same time, we know from research and lived experience that isolation is inherently traumatizing, is disproportionately used on disabled students and students of color, and does not improve long‑term behavior or learning. Across the country, a growing number of states have recognized that isolation or seclusion has no place in schools and have moved to ban it entirely, replacing it with trauma‑informed supports. From our perspective at the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint, HB 1795 should be seen as an important step on a longer journey, not the final destination.
The Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint urges Washington lawmakers to adopt a complete ban on the use of isolation in all public schools, for all students, in line with growing federal concern and emerging best practice. The U.S. Department of Education has made clear that restraint and seclusion are harmful, lack evidence of effectiveness, and are inconsistent with the goal of providing safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environments for every child. At the same time, Maryland’s experience shows that eliminating seclusion is both possible and beneficial: after banning seclusion in public agencies and strengthening safeguards, Maryland schools reduced combined restraint and seclusion incidents by roughly 74 percent statewide and effectively ended seclusion in public schools while also lowering the use of physical restraint. Washington has an opportunity to follow this evidence and leadership by rejecting isolation outright and investing in positive, proactive, and trauma-informed supports that keep students and staff safe without relying on practices known to cause physical and emotional harm.
The Coalition to End Isolation and Reduce Restraint
The Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint is proud to be part of the Coalition to End Isolation and Reduce Restraint in Washington (CEIRR), a statewide coalition of community‑based organizations, families, educators, and professional organizations working together to eliminate isolation and prevent restraint. The coalition’s site highlights school districts across Washington that are already demonstrating that it is possible to dramatically reduce or eliminate isolation and restraint by focusing on inclusive practices, tiered supports, and training that helps staff de‑escalate and respond to the “why” behind complex behavior.
The coalition supports HB 1795 as a crucial next step in state law and continues to advocate for stronger protections, including a complete ban on isolation and robust implementation of trauma‑informed, healing‑centered alternatives. Join parents, students, school board members, legislators, educators, administrators, union members, and community-based organizations invested in education who have worked on Washington policies and laws to support classrooms, prevent restraints, and end isolation.
How You Can Take Action
Disability Rights Washington has issued an action alert emphasizing that HB 1795 is a practical, evidence‑based bill that will prevent harmful restraint and isolation—but that it needs a House floor vote now. Every voice matters in moving this bill forward and in pushing for amendments that will bring Washington closer to ending isolation and seclusion altogether.
Here is how you can help:
We need you to take action! By getting involved, you can help to create safer and more supportive schools for the students, teachers, and staff in Washington schools.
- Tell your House members to bring HB 1795 to the floor and vote YES. Ask them to support the bill’s core protections—banning chemical and mechanical restraints and life‑threatening restraints, limiting the use of physical restraint to situations involving imminent danger of serious physical harm, stopping the construction of new isolation rooms, and expanding training and technical assistance. Urge them to support future efforts to fully ban isolation and seclusion statewide.
- Call or email your legislators. To find your legislators, use the “Find Your Legislator” tool on the Washington Legislature’s website. Once you know who represents you, you can look up their phone number and email address through the same site and contact them directly. When you reach out, briefly share who you are, why you care about this issue, and ask them to bring HB 1795 to the floor for a vote, and vote YES to protect students and support trauma‑informed, effective school practices that reduce and ultimately eliminate restraint and isolation.
- Share your story and amplify the message. If you are a student, family member, educator, or community member who has been impacted by restraint or isolation, your story can help legislators understand the urgency of change. You can also share information and action alerts from Disability Rights Washington and the Coalition to End Isolation and Reduce Restraint with your networks, so more people contact their lawmakers.
Every child in Washington State deserves safety, connection, and dignity at school. HB 1795 moves Washington closer to that reality by curbing some of the most harmful practices, building the systems needed to replace them, and opening the door to a future in which isolation and seclusion are fully banned. We urge lawmakers to pass HB 1795 and to take bold next steps—so Washington can truly become a state that leads the way in ending isolation and reducing restraint.
