On March 30, 2020, Wisconsin passed into law Senate Bill 527 – Changes to the Requirements for the Use of Seclusion and Physical Restraint in Schools (WI SB 527/WI ST 118.305), and became effective immediately. The Bill applies to public schools, including charter schools, and private schools participating in the Wisconsin Special Needs Scholarship Program. 

Request a consultation. We can provide a training solution that helps you comply with this regulation. 

See how CPI training helps you comply with every requirement set forth in the Bill. Or, see the notable  highlights below: 

  • Physical techniques “that place the pupil in a prone position” are now prohibited. 

  • After an incident of seclusion or physical restraint, school principals must meet with individuals involved to discuss what happened and how to keep it from happening in the future. 

  • After an incident of seclusion or physical restraint of LEA placed student occurs at a private school, an administrator must inform legal guardians and file a written report. 

  • Outside of certain exceptions in emergency situations, staff who perform seclusion or physical restraint must receive training in the following areas: 

  • “Evidence-based instruction related to positive behavioral supports and interventions, safe physical escort, understanding antecedents, de-escalation, conflict prevention, and conflict management.” 

  • “Evidence-based techniques, including debriefing, that have been shown to prevent or reduce the use of physical restraint.” 

  • “[T]he trainee [must] demonstrate his or her ability to identify prohibited techniques in administering physical restraint.” 

CPI Training Helps You Comply With This Wisconsin Bill 

CPI offers training and resources to help schools meet legislative mandates like the policy requirements set forth in the Wisconsin regulations. 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: 

  • De-escalation and confident management of crises  

  • 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. 

  • Thorough debriefing after an incident 

  • Implementing evidence-based techniques. 

How to Get Training 
We can deliver a training program on-site to your facility, or you can attend training in one of more than 170 public locations throughout the US.