Restraint, Seclusion & Time-Out
Guidelines for Educators of General Education Students
TWO TYPES of RESTRAINT
1- MECHANICAL RESTRAINT
This type of restraint refers to the "use of any device or equipment to restrict a student’s freedom of movement. The term does not include devices implemented by trained school personnel, or utilized by a student that have been prescribed by an appropriate medical or related services professional and are used for the specific and approved purposes for which such devices were designed, such as:
Adaptive devices or mechanical supports used to achieve proper body position, balance, or alignment to allow greater freedom of mobility than would be possible without the use of such devices or mechanical supports;
Vehicle safety restraints when used as intended during the transport of a student in a moving vehicle;
Restraints for medical immobilization; or
Orthopedically prescribed devices that permit a student to participate in activities without risk of harm."
2- PHYSICAL RESTRAINT
This type of restraint refers to a "personal restriction that immobilizes or reduces the ability of a student to move his or her torso, arms, legs or head freely. The term physical restraint does not include a physical escort. Physical escort means a temporary touching or holding of the hand, wrist, arm, shoulder, or back for the purpose of inducing a student who is acting out to walk to a safe location."
SECLUSION
This refers to "the involuntary confinement of a student alone in a room or area from which the student is physically prevented from leaving. A general education student involuntarily alone in a room with an adult on the outside of the closed door, either blocking the door or locking the door, is considered seclusion. By law, general education students are NOT ALLOWED to be placed in seclusion."
Seclusion Vs. Time-Out
It's the Law: TEXAS EDUCATION CODE: CHAPTER 37
TEXAS EDUCATION CODE: CHAPTER 37
Sec. 37.0021 Use of Confinement, Restraint, Seclusion, and Time-Out
(c) A school district employee or volunteer or an independent contractor of a district may not place a student in seclusion. This subsection does not apply to the use of seclusion in a court-ordered placement, other than a placement in an educational program of a school district, or in a placement or facility to which the following law, rules, or regulations apply.
TEXAS EDUCATION CODE: CHAPTER 37
Sec. 37.0021 Use of Confinement, Restraint, Seclusion, and Time-Out
(3) “Time-out” means a behavior management technique in which, to provide, a student with an opportunity to regain self-control, the student is separated from other students for a limited period in a setting: (A) that is not locked; and (B) form which the exit is not physically blocked by furniture, a closed door held shut from the outside, or another inanimate object.
So what does all this mean for teachers?
Teachers at the campus will need to fill out a restraint log each time that they restrain a gen ed child or place the student in seclusion following the above definitions. The forms are completed each month by any teacher/staff member who administered a restraint on a general education student. One restraint is one logged entry each time. That means that even if a teacher restrained the same child three times in a given period then each restraint is logged on a separate line on the same form. The restraint log can be obtained from our campus registrar or your campus administrators.
Our Campus PEIMS Clerk will assist with this process by:
1. Maintaining a place in her office where teachers can submit their monthly restraint forms for General Education Students.
2. Maintaining the restraint logs for district records and data collection including coding the restraints appropriately.
Our Admin team will assist with this process by:
1. Sending staff a monthly e-mail on the 1st of each month reminding staff to turn in their restraint logs if they restrained a student. Restraint Logs will be due by the end of the first week of each month for the prior month.
Please ask your admin team if you have any questions about this information~