-
Rules Feedback to the Colorado State Board of Education from the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint
First, we appreciate that the Colorado State Board of Education is focused on the important issue of the use of restraint and seclusion in schools across the state. We also value that the intent of these rules is related to protecting students from restraint and seclusion. We have supported many families in Colorado over the…
-
Colorado Department of Education Wants Feedback on Restraint and Seclusion Rules: I Shared My Thoughts, and You Should Too
Recently, the Colorado Department of Education Asked for Feedback on Rules for the Administration of the Protection of Students from Restraint and Seclusion Act (RSA). As a parent of a child enrolled in a Colorado school, I know the harm caused by the use of physical restraint and seclusion, so I decided to answer the…
-
Passing The Keeping All Students Safe Act (KASSA) Upholds a Child’s Natural Rights
I beg readers to indulge me in a past time of mine, understanding the braiding of United States governance and education. Learning this has become both vital and necessary. Multiple readers advocate for disability and human rights. Even a few readers might argue that by supporting disability rights, their own rights become restricted. Yet, no…
-
Join the Pennsylvania Project of the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint
The newly established Pennsylvania project of the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint (AASR) invites parents, educators, advocates, and community members to join the fight to end the harmful use of seclusion and restraint in schools and youth facilities across the state. The goal of this project is to develop legislative recommendations for stronger restraint and…
-
When Curiosity Isn’t Enough: A Mother’s Story of Mats, Silence, and a Seven-Year-Old in Crisis
My seven-year-old, a struggling learner, having a no-good, very bad, horrible day, asked to talk to their mom. The Director of Student Services decided not to allow it. What followed? A seven-year-old was surrounded by large folding mats in a temporary pen for nearly 30 minutes. A few weeks after my child was secluded, news…
-
Pain is Information: My Awakening
A few years ago, when I was 40 years old, I broke a tooth below the gumline and needed to have it extracted. My options were to wait a month and have the procedure done at my regular clinic, or go to an emergency clinic and have it done the same day. I chose the…
-
Together, We Can End Restraint and Seclusion: Why Your Support Matters Now More Than Ever
Every child deserves to feel safe, supported, and understood in school. Yet, across the country, children, especially those with disabilities, trauma histories, or neurodivergent identities, are still being restrained, secluded, and subjected to punitive and exclusionary discipline. These practices don’t teach; they harm. They fracture trust, deepen fear, and too often set children on a…
-
Counting the Costs: How School Trauma Impacts the Entire Family
When we discuss school trauma, we often confine it to the child, a single incident or outburst filed away. Yet, this trauma rarely stays contained. It spreads, infiltrating the family’s entire world: the home, the marriage, the siblings, the finances, and the very identity of the parents. I learned this painful truth firsthand. My autistic…
-
Sweet Support: Keystone RV Hosts Cookie Walk to Benefit AASR
The Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint is thrilled to share a heartwarming example of community generosity from our friends at Keystone RV in Indiana. On Friday, December 12th, employees from the company’s customer service department held a Cookie Walk fundraiser to support our mission—and it was a huge success! With an incredible display of teamwork…
-
Keeping All Students Safe Act Reintroduced: It’s Time to End the Use of Seclusion in Schools
The Keeping All Students Safe Act (KASSA) has been reintroduced in the 119th Congress by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Representative Don Beyer (D-VA), Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), and Representative Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ). This bill aims to prohibit seclusion, mechanical…
