Summary
Missouri adopted SB291, effective July 1, 2010, which requires the local board of education for each school district to create a written policy to address use of restrictive behavioral interventions.
Brief
By July 1, 2011, the local board of education of each school district shall adopt a written policy that comprehensively addresses the use of restrictive behavioral interventions as a form of discipline or behavior management technique. The policy shall be consistent with professionally accepted practices and standards of student discipline, behavior management, health and safety, including the Safe Schools Act.
The policy shall include but not be limited to:
(1) Definitions of "restraint", "seclusion", and "time-out" and any other terminology necessary to describe the continuum of restrictive behavioral interventions available for use or prohibited in the district;
(2) Description of circumstances under which a restrictive behavioral intervention is allowed and prohibited and any unique application requirements for specific groups of students such as differences based on age, disability, or environment in which the educational services are provided;
(3) Specific implementation requirements associated with a restrictive behavioral intervention such as time limits, facility specifications, training requirements or supervision requirements; and
(4) Documentation, notice and permission requirements associated with use of a restrictive behavioral intervention.
3. The department of elementary and secondary education shall, in cooperation with appropriate associations, organizations, agencies and individuals with specialized expertise in behavior management, develop a model policy that satisfies the requirements of subsection 2 of this section by July 1, 2010.
Click here for a complete copy of Missouri State Bill 29 [PDF].
UPDATE - July 2010 - Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has released its Model Policy on Seclusion and Restraint.
CPI Training Can Help
The Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® training program equips staff in techniques for both the preveniton of and safe use of manual restraint. Our program provides training in identifying the underlying causes of the client behaviors that can lead to restraint, and in understanding how staff behavior affects client behavior, and vice versa. The training focuses on prevention and de-escalation techniques and other alternatives to the use of restraint, as well as information on evaluating risk of harm; monitoring for signs of distress, documenting incidents; and safe, less restrictive physical interventions to be used only as a last resort.