Connecticut Senate Bill 183, concerning policies and procedures regarding restraint and seclusion in schools, became effective on May 24, 2018. Restraint and seclusion in schools is prohibited, except as specified: 
  • No school employee shall use a physical restraint on a student except as an emergency intervention to prevent immediate or imminent injury to the student or to others, provided the restraint is not used for discipline or convenience and is not used as a substitute for a less restrictive alternative.  
  • No school employee shall use a life-threatening physical restraint on a student. This section shall not be construed as limiting any defense to criminal prosecution for the use of deadly physical force that may be available under sections 53a-18 to 53a-22, inclusive.  
  • No school employee shall place a student in seclusion except as an emergency intervention to prevent immediate or imminent injury to the student or to others, provided the seclusion is not used for discipline or convenience and is not used as a substitute for a less restrictive alternative. 
  • No student shall be placed in seclusion unless [(1)] (A) such student is monitored by a school employee during the period of such student's seclusion pursuant to subsection (m) of this section, and [(2)] (B) the area in which such student is secluded is equipped with a window or other fixture allowing such student a clear line of sight beyond the area of seclusion. (3) Seclusion shall not be utilized as a planned intervention in a student's behavioral intervention plan, individualized education program or plan pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended from time to time.  
  • No school employee shall use a physical restraint on a student or place a student in seclusion unless such school employee has received training on the proper means for performing such physical restraint or seclusion.  
Exclusionary Time Outs
The bill also includes language specifying the difference between “seclusion” and an “exclusionary time out.” 
Seclusion is defined as the “involuntary confinement of a student in a room, whether alone or with supervision, in a manner that prevents the student from leaving.” An “exclusionary time out” is defined as “a temporary, continuously monitored separation of a student from an ongoing activity in a non-locked setting, for the purpose of calming such student or de-escalating such student's behavior.”
 
CPI Training Can Help Your School Comply With the Statute
CPI offers training and resources to help schools meet legislative mandates like the policy requirements set forth in the Connecticut Bill. Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® training equips staff with techniques for both the prevention of and the safe use of restraint. Our train-the-trainer program 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.
  • Behavioral supports.
  • Implementing evidence-based practices. 
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 170 public locations throughout the US.
 
More Resources
Get helpful hints for crisis intervention and learn about CPI training and restraint reduction.