Education Department Releases Webinar on Use of Restraint and Seclusion

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 9, 2020) – The U.S. Department of Education released a webinar to address the use of restraint and seclusion in the K-12 public schools.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced an initiative Jan. 17, 2019 to examine the possible inappropriate use of restraint and seclusion in schools. The department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) partnered to support teachers, school leaders, parents and stakeholders as they work to address the behavioral needs of children with disabilities.

Part of the department’s initiative focused on providing technical assistance to support schools in understanding how Section 504, Title II, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) informs the development and implementation of policies governing the use of restraint and seclusion.

The department developed a webinar, Students with Disabilities and the Use of Restraint and Seclusion in K-12 Public Schools, as a resource and technical assistance tool to explain how federal laws apply to the use on restraint and seclusion.