In 2024, a U.S. Department of Justice investigation revealed that Wichita Public Schools in Kansas inappropriately restrained and secluded students with disabilities, often for punitive reasons or non-compliance. The investigation led to a settlement agreement with the district to end the use of seclusion, reform its restraint practices, and improve services to students with disabilities.
This session, “Classroom Crisis: Reducing Restraint and Seclusion Through Proactive Leadership,” will explore the critical importance of addressing these practices and provide school leaders with strategies to reduce and eliminate physical restraint and seclusion.
Participants will learn: 1. The impact of restraint and seclusion on students 2. Trauma-informed alternatives to these practices 3. How to implement systemic changes in their schools
Participants will gain an understanding of trauma-informed, neuroscience-aligned, neurodiversity-affirming, relationship-driven, and collaborative approaches to proactively reduce and eliminate the use of physical restraint and seclusion in their schools and districts.
