Category: Advocacy
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A Parent’s Story: Seclusion, Anxiety, and Broken Trust
I am the parent of an 8-year-old child with autism who attends a Connecticut public school. Like many families, I trusted that the school would provide a safe and supportive environment where my child could learn, regulate, and thrive. My child had supports in place, including supervision and strategies to help manage sensory and behavioral…
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Approaching Seven Years of the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint
April is a meaningful month for me and for the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint. On April 23rd, it will be seven years since I started AASR. What began as a small effort to speak out against the harmful use of restraint and seclusion has grown into a national nonprofit and community working every day…
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Autism Acceptance Month Is Not a Celebration—It’s a Reckoning
Every April, the world turns its attention to autism. The posts go up, the slogans circulate, and suddenly everyone is talking about “awareness” again. But if I’m being honest, awareness has never been the issue. Autism is not hidden. It is not rare. It is not misunderstood because people haven’t heard of it. It is…
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How Martial Arts Can Help Those Who Have Experienced Exclusion, Bullying, Seclusion & Restraint
As a child growing up in the mid-1960s, I became the product of early private school education, an experience that no doubt changed me for years to come. For as long as I can remember, I was always a very shy and timid kid, even well into my early 20’s. It is unclear if I…
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Missouri’s Wake‑Up Call: After the DOJ’s Findings, It’s Time to Ban Seclusion in All Schools
On February 23, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released its findings in a sweeping investigation of the Special School District of St. Louis County (SSD). DOJ concluded that SSD’s use of seclusion and restraint violated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, describing “shocking overuse” of these practices and a pattern of…
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Time to Stop Locking Disabled Children in Boxes: We Need Lawmakers to Pass the Keeping All Students Safe Act
In Salmon River, New York, horrific photos of wooden “timeout” boxes circulated on social media and quickly drew outrage from families, tribal leaders, and state officials. The district has now acknowledged using windowless wooden boxes as a “timeout” technique for children, including a nonspeaking autistic eight‑year‑old, and multiple administrators have been placed on leave while…
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Take Action Today: Help Protect Washington Students from Harmful Restraint and Isolation
Tomorrow, the Washington State Senate Early Learning & K‑12 Education Committee will hold a public hearing on ESHB 1795, a narrow but critical, cost‑neutral bill addressing restraint and isolation in public schools. This is a key moment for families, educators, students, and community members to make their voices heard.
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Washington’s Next Step Toward Safe and Dignified Schools: HB 1795
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,…
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Providing Public Comment: Raising the Alarm on Restraint and Seclusion in Pennsylvania Schools
At the January 22 meeting of Pennsylvania’s Special Education Advisory Panel (SEAP), which advises the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) on the education of children with disabilities, public comment highlighted the troubling rise in the use of restraint across the Commonwealth’s schools. The day before, PDE presented its 2024–25 annual report on physical restraint, revealing…
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Maryland Shows You Can End Seclusion in Public Schools—But There Is More Work Ahead
In the first year, Maryland reported statewide data (2017–2018), schools reported 18,222 incidents of physical restraint and 7,325 incidents of seclusion, a total of 25,547 restraint and seclusion incidents across public and nonpublic schools. The next year, the numbers increased to 19,713 restraints and 9,532 seclusions, reaching a peak total of 29,245. In the most…