Families contact our organization every week because they are concerned about their children and uncertain about how to navigate concerns with their school districts. Recently, a family reached out with serious concerns about Lake Travis Independent School District (ISD) and the district’s response to a Texas Education Agency (TEA) special education complaint involving the use of physical restraint. Whenever we hear from families in situations like this, our first step is to extend an offer of help and support directly to the district, with the goal of improving safety, trust, and outcomes for students, staff, and families. In this case, we wrote to the Lake Travis ISD Board of Trustees and Superintendent to share who we are, outline our experience supporting districts following state and federal investigations, and offer concrete assistance as they respond to TEA’s ordered corrective actions, including district-wide retraining on restraint, de-escalation, and trauma-informed supports. Many districts welcome this type of collaboration and move toward meaningful change; when districts choose not to respond, we publish our correspondence to provide transparency about our work and to highlight ongoing needs that must be addressed to keep children safe.
President White, Vice-President Davis, and Members of the Board of Trustees,
Hello, my name is Guy Stephens, and I am the founder and executive director of the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint (AASR). AASR is a national nonprofit and a community of parents, caregivers, self-advocates, educators, school leaders, attorneys, psychologists, therapists, and others working together to change how schools support children whose behaviors are often misunderstood. Our mission is to inform policy and practice changes to reduce and eliminate the use of restraint, seclusion, and other exclusionary, punitive approaches, and to help end the school-to-prison pipeline, with a vision of safer schools for students, staff, and families.
It has come to our attention that Lake Travis ISD is currently responding to a Texas Education Agency (TEA) special education complaint involving the use of physical restraint and that TEA has ordered corrective actions, including district-wide retraining on restraint, de-escalation, and trauma-informed supports. Moments like this can be challenging, but they also create an opportunity for meaningful improvement in practice, culture, and trust with families. Many districts that arrive at this point did not initially recognize the scope of their restraint use or its impact on students and staff until an investigation or complaint brought it into focus.
The Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint has experience helping school systems navigate exactly this kind of work. AASR has supported districts investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice, including Frederick County Public Schools in Maryland, where we participated in community events and offered concrete recommendations to improve special education services and reduce restraint and seclusion. We have also collaborated directly with the Department of Justice in a roundtable focused on combating discriminatory seclusion practices, and we are frequently called upon by media and professional organizations to speak about restraint, seclusion, suspension, expulsion, and other forms of exclusionary discipline.
Our approach is grounded in trauma-informed, neuroscience-aligned, neurodiversity-affirming, relationship-driven, and collaborative practices that help prevent crises rather than simply respond to them. In 2022, AASR partnered with the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) to help develop “Reframing Behavior,” a schoolwide training program that translates current neuroscience into practical strategies for educators to build safer, more supportive learning environments and reduce the need for physical restraint. We understand the importance of supporting teachers and staff, many of whom may feel overwhelmed or blamed when restraint practices are scrutinized, while also centering student safety, dignity, and legal compliance.
In light of the recent TEA findings and the district-wide restraint data shared with you, the Board has a critical governance role in ensuring that corrective actions go beyond minimum compliance and lead to lasting change in training, oversight, and day-to-day practice. The Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint would welcome the opportunity to assist Lake Travis ISD in this work.
Specifically, we can:
- Provide professional learning on trauma-informed, non-coercive, preventive approaches to behavior and de-escalation.
- Review policies and procedures related to restraint and seclusion to align them with current research and best practices.
- Offer guidance on communication and trust-building with families and the broader community as changes are implemented.
If the Board is interested, I would be happy to schedule a virtual meeting to learn more about Lake Travis ISD’s goals and share how AASR might support your efforts to reduce the use of physical restraint and create safer, more compassionate environments for all students and staff.
Respectfully,
Guy Stephens
Founder and Executive Director
Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint
CC: Superintendent Dr. Curtis Null, Brad Merritt, and Jennifer Freeman
