The use of restraint and seclusion to address behavior issues is harmful to children, said former Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, according to a K-12 Dive article summarized in an Education Slice brief.
In a letter before leaving his post on Jan. 20, Cardona told state and local K-12 and early education leaders that schools should instead use proactive practices such as multi-tiered systems of support, which individualize interventions based on students’ needs.
According to the latest federal data, about 52,800 public school students were physically restrained, mechanically restrained, or placed in seclusion at schools during the 2020-21 school year.
Several states have curbed these practices, and many districts have refined their policies to ensure restraint and seclusion are only used in emergency situations.
In recent years, the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights has entered into resolution agreements with several school systems found to have inappropriate restraint and seclusion practices or insufficient reporting protocols.
No federal law bars restraint or seclusion in schools. Their use has been controversial for decades; some advocates, policymakers and educators call for outright bans and others recommend a more nuanced approach that factors in student and staff safety for specific crisis incidents.
Cardona’s letter emphasized that schools should support students’ social, emotional, physical, and mental health needs through multi-tiered systems of support in place of reactionary restraint and seclusion practices.
Cardona said the Education Department is concerned about the continued use of restraint and seclusion, which he said can lead to serious physical injury, emotional trauma and even death.
“The rejection of seclusion and the shift away from reliance on restraint in our Nation’s schools and early childhood programs is long overdue,” Cardona said.
“We must equip educators and early childhood providers with the positive, proactive, and evidence-based tools and resources to meet the needs of all students.”
Cardona also promoted creating early education and school programs that foster inclusion, safety and belonging.
Education Slice
