Category: Education
-
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.
-
Minnesota, It Is Time to End the Use of Seclusion, Not Increase It
Minnesota’s Seclusion Working Group had an opportunity to move the state toward ending the involuntary seclusion of children in schools, and missed it. Instead of aligning Minnesota law with federal civil rights guidance and the lived experiences of students and families, the Seclusion Working Group Final Report to the Legislature preserves seclusion as a tool,…
-
When Helping Hurts: How Broken Systems Turn Compassion into Defense
We recently shared the link to a Seattle Times investigation that found staff in medical settings have used spit hoods over the past decade to subdue or control psychiatric patients and risk psychological distress, suffocation, and even death in the process. The comments poured in. Many came from healthcare workers describing being bitten, kicked, and…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Call To Action Wisconsin: Take Action to Protect Vulnerable Students from Harmful Discipline Bills
Call to action! –In Wisconsin, AB613 and AB614 are two new education bills that are bad news for Wisconsin families and schools. They are discriminatory, promote the use of seclusion and physical restraint, and would do nothing to solve the root cause of problems in education. We need to stop this bill to help families…
-
The Invisible Exclusion in Our Education System
Our local news recently aired what appeared to be a heartwarming story: district leaders and our governor making celebratory calls to families whose children have excellent attendance. On the surface, it looked like positive engagement, a feel-good moment highlighting student success. What it did not address, however, are the very real systemic barriers fueling Oregon’s…
-
A Lever Long Enough: Changing Exclusionary Discipline Policies In North Carolina and Beyond
Love Our Children NC used this concept to change the short-term suspension policy in New Hanover County, North Carolina. The non-profit organization was co-founded by me and Veronica McLaurin-Brown in March 2021. We are dedicated to ending exclusionary discipline in our state. We are working to change harmful suspension and seclusion policies and statutes. We…
-
Choice Doesn’t Fix It: Why PBIS Still Harms Kids
When I was a little girl, I didn’t speak until I was four years old. I remember the way adults looked at me—like I was broken, like my silence defined me. They didn’t see the potential bubbling beneath, only the ways I failed to fit the mold. That early experience taught me something I carry…