Category: Restraint
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12 Recommendations for the Office of Civil Rights
The United States Department of Education Office of Civil Rights published a request for information regarding the nondiscriminatory administration of school discipline. This is an opportunity to feedback related to the use of restraint, seclusion, suspension, expulsion, and corporal punishment. Below are twelve recommendations that we have shared with the Office of Civil Rights and…
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A response to OCR’s request for information regarding the administration of school discipline
re-K through grade 12. OCR solicits these comments to inform determinations about what policy guidance, technical assistance, or other resources would assist schools that serve students in pre-K through grade 12 with improving school climate and safety, consistent with the civil rights laws that OCR enforces, to ensure equal access to education programs and activities.…
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Sanctioned Violence: Restraint Use in Indiana Medicaid Waiver Settings
Restraint is currently a hot topic with the media and lawmakers alike due to the recent deaths of people in custody at the hand of police officers. There are calls across the nation for police departments to ban the use of chokeholds and other dangerous restraints. But, what about restraint use in other settings besides…
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Urgent: Support for Maine Keeping All Students Safe Act (LD 1373)
e Maine House recently passed LD 1373, but the Maine Senate, unfortunately, rejected it. The most controversial part was the seclusion ban. The House has therefore amended the bill to strike the seclusion ban. While this is extremely disappointing, the bill still contains worthwhile measures, such as a ban on prone restraint.
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This is Paige’s story
Restraints and seclusions are gateways to physical and emotional abuse, especially in the absence of adequate oversight. Unfortunately, our former school district failed to provide a safe classroom environment for my seven-year-old autistic daughter, Paige, when she joined a multi-grade special day class at Eisenhower Elementary, a school within the Cupertino Union School District (CUSD)…
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Seclusion: We can and must do better
A recent post on social media elicited a response from an individual, who indicated that they has 25 years experience in the field of education, who seemed to disagree with our assertion about seclusion rooms which stated: Nothing is calming about a seclusion room. Children don’t learn to self-regulate by being thrown into an empty…
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Reintroduction of the Keeping All Students Safe Act
We think it is critical that it be illegal for any school to seclude children and use dangerous restraint practices that restrict children’s breathing, such as prone or supine restraint. We think it is important to better equip school personnel with the training they need to address trauma and stress behaviors. We also think that…
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Support for LD 1373: A letter to members of the Maine Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs
The letter that follows was sent to members of the Maine Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs on May 23rd, 2021 in support of LD 1373. Dear Chairman Langley, Chairperson Kornfield, and members of the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs, Hello, my name is Guy Stephens. I am the founder and executive director of…
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Testimony to Illinois Senate Education Committee: It’s time to end prone restraint for all
Hello, my name i s Guy Stephens. I am the founder and executive director of the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint. I started the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint two and a half years ago, because my autistic son was traumatized through the use of restraint and seclusion at school. Today the Alliance Against Seclusion…
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Kieran’s Story: The impact of restraint
I am writing this on behalf of my son, Kieran with his consent. Kieran is a beautiful boy who is now twenty. The events I will describe happened when he was 15 years old. As a bit of background, Kieran was born with multiple disabilities. He has cerebral palsy, autism, a cyst on his brain…