The Use of Restraint and Seclusion
Principal Leadership · March 2014 ·by Lauren Parris Watts and Suzanne Eckes
As a result of several disturbing incidents involving the restraint and seclusion of students with disabilities in schools, the US Department of Education asked the Council of Chief State School Officers in every state to review current policies to ensure student safety when using restraints and seclusion (Duncan, 2009). The department stressed that school officials should make every effort to prevent the need for restraints and seclusion. The department later released a 45-page “resource document” that identified 15 principles to help school leaders and teachers with this issue (US Department of Education, 2012). In addition, the US Congress introduced legislation to restrict the use of restraint and seclusion.