Report Issued on Restraint & Seclusion in CA Schools

Report Issued on Restraint & Seclusion in California Schools

In the past year, Protection & Advocacy, Inc. (PAI) has conducted in-
depth investigations into allegations of abusive restraint and
seclusion practices involving seven students in five public schools
and one non- public school. PAI's year-long investigations included
extensive review of records, on-site inspections, victim and witness
interviews, consultation with experts in education, restraint and
seclusion, meeting with key stakeholders, and monitoring of statewide
time-out and emergency intervention policies and practices.

These investigations revealed both the failure of school personnel to
comply with existing regulations and the failure of current law to
sufficiently regulate the use of these risky practices. Students were
placed in locked seclusion or barricaded into seclusion rooms or
areas to prevent their exit. Teachers and aides used unapproved and
dangerous restraint techniques and were not currently certified in
the approved training program. None of the events were reported as
required by law, including notifying the students' parents or legal
guardians, and completing behavioral emergency reports.

PAI is releasing this report to highlight noncompliance with current
regulatory requirements and to challenge schools and the California
Department of Education to bring standards regarding behavioral
restraint and seclusion of students into line with current practices
in all other settings.

The report can be downloaded from the organization's website:
http://www.pai-ca.org/pubs/702301.htm or http://www.pai-
ca.org/pubs/702301.pdf. For print copies, contact PAI's Oakland
office at (510) 267-1200.

I hope that you take some time to review this report and share it
with your colleagues. Please do not hesitate to contact me directly
if you have any questions or feedback about opportunities to address
the issues identified.

Sincerely, Leslie Morrison

Leslie Morrison, MS, RN, Esq.
Director, Investigations Unit
Protection & Advocacy, Inc.
1330 Broadway, Ste. 500
Oakland, CA 94612
Telephone: (510) 267-1200
Fax: (510) 267-1201
Toll Free/TTY/TDD: (800) 776-5746
TTY/TDD: (800)-649-0154


http://www.pai-ca.org/pubs/702301.htm or http://www.pai-
ca.org/pubs/702301.pdf.