Lt. Gov.

Brian Calley: Restraint and seclusion practices must end

in schools outside of emergencies
Legislation puts Special Education Reform Task Force recommendations into
action
Tuesday, March 1, 2015
LANSING, Mich. All students deserve a safe, positive learning environment
without fear of being restrained or secluded from their classmates, Lt. Gov. Brian
Calley said.
It is unacceptable that restraint and seclusion practices are still underway in our
schools, Calley said. We need to give children the support they need and stop
using archaic methods to control behavior. These bills put a stop to these
practices while encouraging the use of positive behavioral interventions and
support to reduce difficult situations that arise.
Calley today joined with a bipartisan group of lawmakers from the House and
Senate to announce a bill package that would restrict the use of restraint and
seclusion practices in all schools to emergency situations.
"This legislation works to strike a balance between respecting the dignity of
students and staff and ensuring their safety," said Rep. Liberati, D-Allen Park,
who is a father of a special needs child. "In 2006, the State Board of Education
set standards limiting the application of restraint and seclusion to emergency
situations, but those standards don't carry the weight of Michigan law. I'm proud
that all members of the Disabilities Awareness Caucus and the members of
the Special Education Reform Task Force introduced legislation to codify the
practice of non-emergency and emergency restraint and seclusion into state law,
which will improve outcomes for all involved."
The legislation clarifies the appropriate course of intervention should an
emergency situation arise. The Special Education Reform Task Force, chaired
by Calley,recommended these reforms last month in their report to the
Governor.

Sen. Margaret OBrien of Portage pointed out the serious dangers that restraint
and seclusion practices can cause:
On August 25, 2003, a 15 year old boy named Michael died from prolonged
physical restraint In Kalamazoo County on the first day of the school year. It
should have been like any other day but instead a life ended, OBrien said. No
one intended to harm a student which is why Kalamazoo now has a program to
train all teachers in proper restraint and seclusion. Today, this legislation will
ensure all teachers in Michigan get the same training. As a mother, I know how
precious our children are and I want all Michigan children to be safe at school.
Reforms within the 10 bill package, which will be introduced between the House
and Senate today, also include:

Establishing a positive behavioral support system and intervention plan

that would be adopted by all schools
Defining appropriate requirements for the use of seclusion and restraint
methods in emergency situations and requires reporting of instances
Creating reporting requirements associated with the use of these practices
Creating best practices for data collection on incidents and school training
requirements for emergencies
Requiring districts and intermediate school districts to create policies that
align with the statewide plan.

The legislation has been referred to each chambers education committee for
consideration. For more information on the additional recommendations of the
Special Education Reform Task Force, visit Michigan.gov/calley.

#####