Michigan lawmakers are pushing for new legislation to ban seclusion and reduce restraint in schools, particularly for students with disabilities. The proposed bill, introduced by State Sen. Stephanie Chang, would prohibit seclusion and only allow restraint in emergency situations where a student is at risk of harming themselves or others.
Background
Despite a nearly 10-year-old law aimed at reducing instances of seclusion and restraint, Michigan schools still report thousands of cases each year. Advocacy groups, such as Michigan Advocates to End Seclusion & Restraint (EndSaR), argue that additional safeguards are necessary to protect students and staff.
EndSaR chair Cassie Atallah stated, “We’re a decade into implementation, and what we’ve seen demonstrated is that additional safeguards are necessary to fully protect our students and staff.” The group acknowledges that there are times when students are in crisis but emphasizes that schools should try to avoid crises in the first place and ensure seclusion is not used for discipline.
Proposed Legislation
The draft bill would require districts to create reduction plans if the state determines that they excessively restrain students and to train staff on how trauma affects student learning. The Michigan Department of Education would determine what constitutes excessive restraint.
State Sen. Chang said, “It’s alarming because our kids are obviously very vulnerable, and when we’re talking about kids with disabilities, they’re even more vulnerable. We need to make sure the adults in our school settings are doing things appropriately.”
The bill also aims to align state definitions with federal definitions of seclusion and restraint and calls for the public reporting of student demographics when students are restrained.
Opposition and Support
While some educators and administrators express concerns about the proposed ban on seclusion, advocacy groups and lawmakers argue that it is necessary to protect students. EndSaR vice chair Marisa Brizzolara said, “We have never interacted with an educator or school staff that wants to traumatize or harm a child. They just don’t know what else to do. And I think if we give them that information, we would see a lot of progress.”
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
