Brockton Public Schools

School Committee Policy

PHYSICAL RESTRAINT OF STUDENTS - JKAA

Maintaining an orderly, safe environment conducive to learning is an expectation of all staff members of the school district. Further, students of the district are protected by law from the unreasonable use of physical restraint. Such restraint shall be used with extreme caution, and only in emergency situations as a last resort, after other lawful and less intrusive alternatives have failed or been deemed inappropriate.

When an emergency situation arises, and physical restraint is the only option deemed appropriate to prevent a student from injuring himself or herself, another student, or school community member, a teacher, employee, or agent of the school district may use such reasonable force needed to protect students, other persons or themselves from assault or imminent, serious, physical harm.

The definitions of forms of restraint shall be as defined in 603CMR 46.02.

The use of mechanical restraint, medical restraint, and seclusion is prohibited.

Physical restraint, including prone restraint only according to the conditions listed under 603 CMR 46.03, shall be considered an emergency procedure of last resort and shall be prohibited except when a student's behavior poses a threat of assault, or imminent, serious, physical harm to themselves and/or others and the student is not responsive to verbal directives or other lawful and less intrusive behavior interventions are deemed inappropriate.

Brockton Public Schools' practice is consistent with the requirements of the law, and includes:

appropriate responses to student behavior that may require immediate intervention other than physical restraint;
methods of preventing student violence and self-harm, as well as crisis planning and de-escalation of potentially dangerous behaviors among groups of students or individuals;
alternatives to physical restraint and the proper methods of restraint administration when required;
training and procedures to comply with reporting/documentation requirements; including, but not limited to parent notification of the use of restraint within mandated timelines;
procedures for receiving and investigating complaints;
methods for engaging parents in discussions about restraint prevention;
prohibiting medication restraint, mechanical restraint, and prone restraint except as permitted by 603 CMR 46.03(l)(b), seclusion, and the use of physical restraint in a manner inconsistent with 603 CMR 46.00,
a requirement for principal approval for a time out exceeding 30 minutes.

Each building Principal will identify staff members to serve as a school-wide resource to assist in ensuring proper administration of physical restraint. These staff members will participate in an in-depth training program in the use of physical restraint.

In addition, each staff member will be trained regarding the school's physical restraint policy and accompanying procedures. The Principal will arrange training to occur in the first month of each school year, or for staff hired after the beginning of the school year, within a month of their employment.

Physical restraint is prohibited as a means of punishment, or as a response to destruction of property, disruption of school order, a student's refusal to comply with a school rule or staff directive, or verbal threats that do not constitute a threat of imminent, serious physical harm to the student or others.

Physical restraint is prohibited when it is medically contraindicated for reasons including, but not limited to, asthma, seizures, a cardiac condition, obesity, bronchitis, communication-related disabilities, or risk of vomiting;

The use of "time out" procedures during which a staff member remains accessible to the student shall not be considered "seclusion restraint".

This policy and its accompanying procedures shall be reviewed and disseminated to staff annually and made available to parents of enrolled students. The Superintendent shall provide a copy of the Physical Restraint regulations to each Principal.