Background
In a letter to all Chief State Schools officers dated July 31, 2009, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan asked that “each State … review its current policies and guidelines regarding the use of restraints and seclusion in schools to ensure every student is safe and protected, and if appropriate, develop or revise its policies and guidelines.” This request comes after a hearing held on May 19, 2009, by the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee to examine misapplication of seclusion and restraint techniques in schools. On the day of the hearing, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a copy of the testimony of Gregory D. Kutz,
entitled "Seclusions and Restraints: Selected Cases of Death and Abuse at Public and Private Schools and Treatment Centers."
Based on this federal directive, the Indiana Department of Education has reviewed all state statutes, regulations and policies, and concluded that Indiana has no statewide policy regarding restraint and seclusion of students. This document was developed after reviewing other states’statutes, regulations, and policies, as well as the position papers of organizations such as the Council for Exceptional Children. As a guiding principle, the Department recommends that schools and school corporations address the use of student seclusion and restraint as part of the
school’s written discipline rules.
Read the policy GUIDELINES here.
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Copy and paste URL: http://www.doe.in.gov/super/2009/12-December/121109/documents/seclusion_restraint_policy.pdf
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