Category: Restraint
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Restraint and Seclusion by the Numbers
The civil rights of disabled children and minorities are being violated Restraint and seclusion disproportionately impact disabled children and African American students in the United States. Many of the children impacted by restraint and seclusion are elementary school students as young as five years old. In the 2015–2016 school year over 122,000 students were restrained…
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The Allegory of the Closet
The nightmares from childhood trauma are first lived, then never lived down. I woke up this morning around 4:30 am in a cold sweat. I was awakened from a nightmare. It’s a recurring nightmare for me. It’s the kind of dream from which one awakens and feels it just happened, that all the sensations felt…
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An open letter to Maryland State Education Association President Cheryl Bost
Ms. Bost, Ms. Ostenso, and Ms. Tayman I had the opportunity to view the public comment that you provided to the Calvert County Board of Education on Thursday, October 10th and wanted to reach out to you. Like you, I believe it is important that our schools are safe for students, teachers, and staff. Like…
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From Paraprofessional to Restraint and Seclusion Advocate
Today’s guest author is Molly Hoffard. Molly is a mother from Lakeville, Minnesota. She’s a Partners in Policymaking graduate, an end of life doula, a nonprofit director and an advocate for developmental disabilities. As a college student, I was sent by a temp staffing agency to work for the public schools as a paraprofessional. On my…
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Our visit to the Hill
My Granddaughter, Denise, 13, and I participated in the National Council’s Hill Day through NAMI’s (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Youth Move. If you clicked on the link, you saw that the first day was spent learning about effective advocacy, getting an update on the political climate and digging deeper into areas of interest. Nicolle…
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Talking about seclusion and restraint
I was recently interviewed by Cheryl Ann Poe for Advocating 4 Kids. We had a great conversation about seclusion and restraint. A big theme for the discussion is that parents can make a difference. At times parents may feel alone and powerless, but if we work together we can influence change. See the full interview…
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Talk to your kids
Something to consider as our children head back to school this year… Children often assume you are aware of everything that happens to them at school. If they are restrained and/or secluded they may assume that you are aware. Alternatively, they may feel shame or guilt for “getting in trouble” and not want to tell…
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Eliminating Seclusion from our schools
What is seclusion? Seclusion means the involuntary confinement of a student alone in a room or area from which the student is physically prevented from leaving. This is not a simple timeout or break for a student. Seclusion is intended as a measure of last resort, that in many states should only be used in…
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Seclusion and Restraint: What we know, what we need to do and why it is important.
What do we know? We know that seclusion and restraint can lead to significant trauma, injury and even death. We know that seclusion and restraint are reactive strategies not proactive solutions to address challenging behaviors. We know that science does not show that seclusion and restraint are effective in behavioral modification. We know that seclusions…
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About Seclusion and Restraint
Restraint and seclusion are crisis management strategies that are used in many schools across the nation and the world. Physical Restraint, is exactly what it sounds like, it is a personal restriction that immobilizes or reduces the ability of a student to move his or her torso, arms, legs or head freely. Seclusion is the…