Arizona SB 1459, effective July 3, 2015, adds Section 15-105, relating to the restraint and seclusion of public and private school pupils, to Title 15, Chapter 1, Article 1 of Arizona statutes.
 
Key points of the bill include: 
  • Only permits seclusion and restraint on any pupil if two conditions apply: the pupil’s behavior must present an imminent danger of bodily harm to the pupil or others, and less restrictive interventions appear insufficient to mitigate the imminent danger of bodily harm.
  • Mandates an end to seclusion and restraint once that imminent danger has ended. Mandates that personnel maintain continuous visual contact during seclusion and restraint.
  • Allows schools to establish procedures on the use of seclusion and restraint in a school safety or crisis plan if the plan is not specific to any individual pupil.
  • Mandates that only personnel trained in safe seclusion and restraint techniques can undertake physical restraint unless there isn’t sufficient time to summon qualified individuals.
  • Bans restraint techniques that impede a student’s ability to breathe.
  • Restraint techniques employed may not be out of proportion to the pupil’s age or physical condition.
  • Requires school personnel to provide the pupil’s parents or guardian same-day notice or, if not possible, 24-hour notice of a seclusion or restraint incident.
  • Further requires schools to provide written reports detailing information about those involved in the restraint, its duration, and causes for the student’s behavior that led to it (if known).
 
CPI Training Can Help You Comply
Schools throughout the US use our Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® training program because it focuses on prevention, de-escalation techniques, and other alternatives to restraint. Our training helps staff identify underlying causes of student behaviors, and how staff and student behaviors affect each other. The program also emphasizes:
  • Evaluating risk of harm and signs of distress
  • Documenting incidents
  • Safer, less restrictive holding skills to be used only as a last resort
  • Debriefing strategies to help prevent incidents from recurring

Get details [PDF] on how Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® training can help you comply with the bill. 

How to Get Training
We can bring the Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® training program on-site to your school, or you can attend training in one of more than 150 public locations throughout the US.
 
Additional Courses
CPI also offers courses and resources on autism spectrum disorders, trauma-informed care, integrating PBIS with training, and many more topics to help you increase care and safety for everyone in your school.
 
More Resources
Get helpful hints for crisis intervention and learn about CPI training and restraint reduction.