Wichita schools change restraint, seclusion policy for students. Why, what it means
The Wichita school district will no longer use seclusion as punishment for students and will use restraints only as a last resort, according to changes in its emergency intervention policies after a settlement agreement with the Department of Justice.
Last year, the department found that disabled and Black students were disproportionately punished from 2020-2023. It also found that the district would often seclude and restrain students with disabilities.
The revisions also create a crisis prevention team at all schools.
'Restraint may not be used as a form of discipline or punishment, as a method of forcing compliance with staff directions, as a convenience to staff, or as a substitute for appropriate educational and/or behavioral support,' part of the district's new policy reads.
The revisions were approved by the USD 259 school board at its Monday evening meeting. The revisions were part of the board's consent agenda, meaning there was not a public discussion on the item.
Staff that are part of the crisis prevention team will be trained on restraint uses according to the Crisis Prevention Institutes standards, according to the new policy.
Only members of the Crisis Prevention Team are allowed to 'ordinarily' restrain students.
The new policy outlines that staff who are not team members are allowed to restrain students only if a team member is not available or if they need assistance.
Principals, assistant principals and other staff will receive 'role-appropriate' training on emergency safety interventions.
The new policy also outlines 'debrief' processes for parents, staff and students after emergency safety interventions (ESI) are used on a student.
'Each notice shall invite the Parent to discuss the circumstances of the ESI and ways to avoid future ESI,' the policy reads. 'A summary of any such discussion and any actions taken as a result shall be recorded in the District's student information system.'
The policy also states that students who are subject to an ESI must be evaluated by a trained medical professional for potential injuries and treatments.
The Department of Justice opened its investigation into the district's restraint policies during spring 2022.
It evaluated disciplinary records from the 2020-21 school year until the end of the 2022-23 school year.
The investigation found that the district 'inappropriately and repeatedly secluded and restrained students with disabilities and relegated those with the greatest behavioral needs to inferior facilities with inadequate services and support.'
'We don't know what may have prompted the initial inquiry. But I can tell you that we can and we must create a more equitable school district, and we will do so by changing some of our practices and procedures going forward,' district superintendent Kelly Bielefeld said last year after the settlement agreement.
During the three-year period covered by the investigation, more than 98% of the 3,000 students restrained and secluded by district employees had disabilities, the DOJ found. At least 44 students experienced 20 or more episodes of restraint or seclusion, including one child who was secluded 99 times for a total of over 15 hours.
It also found discriminatory treatment of Black students when discipline was administered at several schools, especially Black girls.
The investigation also found evidence of racial discrimination in referrals to law enforcement and a pattern of security officers responding to routine discipline matters and escalating those incidents, 'resulting in the unnecessary referral of Black students to law enforcement for routine or minor misbehavior.'
The district created a new office to monitor restraint practices and ensure compliance with the agreement, called the Office of Behavior Management, Support and Oversight.
The district also made other promises as part of the settlement agreement, including creating a student code of conduct and standardizing its dress code policies. Bielefeld told The Eagle in an interview that those changes would be addressed by the school board likely during the spring.
The DOJ has investigated other school districts for its restraint policies and racial discrimination in disciplinary practices, including in Spokane, Anchorage and Cedar Rapids.
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