Administrative Procedure 354
PHYSICAL RESTRAINT & SECLUSION OF STUDENTS
Background
The District is committed to ensuring a safe, personally secure and respectful environment for all students and staff. The District further considers positive and least restrictive approaches in the provision of student supports to be best practice. Respect for student rights, maintaining student dignity and the safety of all involved is paramount. This approach is consistent with Ministry of Education provincial guidelines for Physical Restraint and Seclusion in School Settings.
Schools are to be safe and caring places in which educational programs are carried out in positive and supportive learning environments. Every effort is to be made to structure learning environments and to provide learning supports that make physical restraint and seclusion unnecessary. The overarching goal of learning environment design is the creative use of space to facilitate and support positive student learning experiences, rather than punitive disciplinary ones.
The District does not support any form of physical restraint or seclusion as an ongoing intervention. Any intervention that involves physical restraint or seclusion may only be used in cases of extreme emergency where the physical actions of the student threaten to cause harm to self or others.
Definitions
Physical Restraint is a method of restricting another person’s freedom of movement or mobility in order to secure and maintain the safety of the person or the safety of others.
The provision of a ‘physical escort’, i.e. temporary touching or holding of a student’s hand, wrist, arm, shoulder or back for the purpose of accompanying and inducing a student who is acting out to walk to a safe location, does not constitute physical restraint.
The provision of physical guidance, or prompting of a student when teaching a skill, redirecting attention, or providing comfort also does not constitute physical restraint.
Seclusion is the involuntary confinement of a person, alone in a room, enclosure, or space which the person is physically prevented from leaving.
Behaviour strategies such as “time-out”, used for social reinforcement as part of a behaviour plan, are not considered ‘seclusion’.
The term seclusion does not apply where a student has personally requested to be in a different/secluded location/space.
- Behaviour interventions for students must promote the rights of all students to be treated with dignity.
- Behaviour interventions for all students must emphasize prevention and positive behaviour supports. Every effort is to be made to employ preventative actions that preclude the need for the use of physical restraint or seclusion.
- Positive emotional and behavioural interventions and mental health supports are to be provided for all students who need them in a safe and least restrictive environment.
- Behaviour interventions are to address the underlying cause and purpose of potentially harmful behaviour.
- Physical restraint or seclusion is only to be used in extreme emergency where the behaviour of a student poses imminent danger of serious physical harm to self or others, including school personnel, and where less restrictive interventions have been ineffective in ending imminent danger of serious physical harm. Physical restraint or seclusion is to be discontinued once imminent danger or serious physical self-harm or harm to others has dissipated.
- Neither restraint nor seclusion are to be used as a punishment, discipline, or to force compliance in an educational/learning setting.
- Educational assessments, including functional behaviour assessments, are to be provided for all students whose pattern of behaviour impedes their learning or the learning of others. These assessments shall inform the development of behaviour intervention plans for students that incorporate positive behaviour interventions and include instruction in strategies to regulate and de-escalate their behaviour.
- It is expected that principals will identify among staff members, individuals who are trained in restitution, conflict de-escalation and crisis de-escalation, and/or non-violent crisis intervention techniques to enable them to defuse conflict and crisis situations.
- At the beginning of each school year, principals will review this Administrative Procedure with all staff and others working with students as appropriate. Principals are advised to ensure that staff are aware of the Ministry of Education provincial guidelines for Physical Restraint and Seclusion in School Settings.
- It shall be made clear to all staff and others working with students that restraint and seclusion procedures are for extreme emergency situations only, and are not to be used as a regular means of intervention.
- The District will provide appropriate training opportunities for staff in order to maintain supportive, safe environments for both staff and students.
- The school-based team shall develop, in consultation with District staff, Behaviour Support Plans and Risk Reduction Plans for students whose behaviour could potentially pose imminent danger of harm to self or others.
- The Behaviour Support Plan and/or Risk Reduction Plan shall be attached to the student’s IEP and shall be reviewed regularly, and at least, annually.
- Parents and, where appropriate, students, are to be consulted as part of the development process for behaviour intervention and/or risk reduction plans.
- If physical restraint or seclusion have been used in an extreme emergencysituation to prevent harm to self or others, the Principal must provide notification, written documentation, and follow-up that includes confirmation that:
- The Principal was notified as soon as possible after the incident (if possible prior to the end of the school day on which the incident occurred);
- The student’s parent(s) were notified as soon as possible; and,
- The Director of Instruction, Diversity and Inclusion was notified as soon as possible.
- Debriefing occurred with:
- Involved school personnel;
- Parents of the student,
- The student by a school counsellor; and,
- The debriefing examined what happened, what caused the incident and what could be changed i.e., preventative and response actions that could be taken in the future to make the use of physical restraint or seclusion unnecessary.
- A District Threat/Violence Report form must be forwarded to the District Health and Safety Officer and the School Site Safety Committee.
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