Category: People
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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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Colorado Department of Education Asked for Input on Restraint and Seclusion. Then It Chose the Status Quo
The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) recently invited public comment on draft rules for the Administration of the Protection of Students from Restraint and Seclusion Act (RSA), and the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint (AASR) submitted detailed feedback grounded in federal guidance, neuroscience, and lived experience. In its written summary of comments and responses, CDE…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Punitive School Discipline and Its Public Health Implications: A Literature Review
Childhood is the developmental stage during which the foundation for an individual’s identity, personality, and self-regulation skills is established (Montroy et al., 2016). Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that can profoundly shape development, both physiologically and psychologically (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024). The majority of the existing literature surrounding childhood…
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The Illusion of “Play-Based ABA”: The Gentle Mask of Control
One of the newest rebrands of Applied Behavior Analysis is “play-based ABA.” At first glance, it looks comforting to parents and teachers who may have heard critiques of traditional ABA. Instead of a child sitting at a table with flashcards, they’re on the floor with toys, building towers, pretending with dolls, or rolling cars back…
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Running for Cole
I have always had a passion for running. I don’t run fast, and I’m not breaking any records, but that doesn’t matter because running means so much more to me. Running is my release, a way for me to process my emotions and whatever is happening in my life at any given moment. I didn’t…
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Parallel Battles: Advocacy in Healthcare and Education for Vulnerable Populations
Every day as a nurse and mother of a child with a disability, I find myself navigating two very distinct worlds – one rooted in healthcare and the other in education, both, however, interconnected by a demanding commitment to advocacy. Through my experience as a nurse and my daughter’s experience within the public school system, I…
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Meet Volunteer Kenzie Joly
I am deeply committed to advancing educational equity through research, policy advocacy, and a nuanced understanding of how systemic factors influence student outcomes. My interest in joining the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint stems from a passion for dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline and advocating for alternatives to punitive discipline—particularly for students with behavioral health needs…