Category: Restraint
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Tell Us Why You Support the Keeping All Students Safe Act and Why Others Should Too
We have an opportunity right now to protect children, support educators, and change the culture of our schools. The Keeping All Students Safe Act has strong support from disability, civil rights, and education organizations, but it will only become law if we build a loud, sustained public demand for action. Please take a few minutes…
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Leveling the Playing Field in School Safety: National Data Reveal Who Is Most Harmed by Restraint, Seclusion, and Corporal Punishment
We want to share with you an honors thesis project by former Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint intern Lauren Sukhu. The thesis offers powerful, data‑driven evidence that restraint, seclusion, and corporal punishment in U.S. public schools are not used equally; they fall most heavily on students with disabilities, Black students, students of two or more…
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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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If Not Seclusion and Restraint, Then What? A Better Way Forward for Students and Educators
You are not alone if your first reaction to criticism of restraint and seclusion is, “You don’t understand the kids we support,” or, “What do you expect us to do when a child kicks us?” Many educators arrive at “If not seclusion and restraint, then what?” from a place of exhaustion, moral injury, and fear.…
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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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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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A Letter to the Board of Trustees of Lake Travis ISD: We Can Help
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…
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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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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,…