| Streetsboro City School District |
| Bylaws & Policies |
5630.01 - PHYSICAL RESTRAINT
Introduction and Purpose
The Streetsboro City School District Board of Education believes that every student attending our schools must be free from the unreasonable use of physical restraint. It is the position of the Board that physical restraint of students shall be used only in emergency situations, where less intrusive alternatives have not been successful or have been deemed inappropriate. Even then, the Board believes that physical restraint must be used with extreme caution. In order to ensure that physical restraint is used only when necessary, and only to the extent necessary, the Board adopts this policy, which governs the use of physical restraint in the Streetsboro City School District.
Definitions
For the purpose of this policy, the following definitions will be utilized:
| A. | Physical Restraint means the restriction of an individual’s movement against his/her will, and includes manual restraint, mechanical restraint, and seclusion restraint. | |
| B. | Manual Restraint means the use of physical intervention intended to hold a person immobile or limit a person’s movement by using body contacts as the only source of physical restraint. | |
| C. | Mechanical Restraint means the use of devices such as mittens, straps, or restraint chairs to limit a person’s movement or hold a person immobile. | |
| D. | Seclusion Restraint means physically confining an individual alone in a room or limited space without access to other people. |
Use of Physical Restraint
Only a District employee who has had the training required by this policy may, within the scope of his/her duties, apply physical restraint to a student, unless no such staff member is available. To the extent practicable, physical restraint may not be used by any staff member except in the presence of another staff member.
When Physical Restraint May Be Used.
A District employee may use physical restraint if the employee reasonably believes that the restraint is necessary to accomplish any of the following:| A. | protect a staff member or student, including the student being restrained, from physical injury; | |
| B. | obtain possession of a weapon or other dangerous object; | |
| C. | protect property of the school, staff member or another student from serious damage; | |
| D. | remove from a specific location a student who is refusing to comply with the reasonable, lawful directives of a teacher or other school employee in order to restore order or impose disciplinary measures; | |
| E. | bring an irrational student under control; | |
| F. | for self-defense. |
Employees shall use only the least restrictive physical restraint necessary to control a situation. Employees shall
not use physical restraint as punishment incentive, coercion or for staff convenience.Duration of Physical Restraint.
Physical restraint shall be used only for that time period necessary for the danger to be eliminated and for the student to compose himself/herself. If the student’s behavior remains dangerous after ten (10) minutes of physical restraint, continued use of the physical restraint must be authorized by the principal or his/her designee. If continued use of physical restraint is ineffective, the principal, or his/her designee, shall contact the student’s parent(s) and/or guardian for assistance. If appropriate, the principal or his/her designee shall also seek assistance from law enforcement or other emergency service personnel.Seclusion Restraint.
A student may be secluded from other students and/or staff members only for the period of time necessary to compose himself/herself. If a student is secluded for more than thirty (30) minutes, continued seclusion must be authorized by the building principal or his/her designee. A student who is the subject of seclusion restraint shall be directly and continuously monitored by a trained employee at all times.If a student is secluded by being placed in a "timeout room", the room: (1) shall be large enough to permit safe movement; (2) shall permit safe entry and exit for the student and staff; (3) shall not be locked in any way that would prevent the student from leaving the room, unless the room is equipped with automatic releases for fire alarms; (4) shall be adequately lit, heated, and ventilated, and (5) shall be free of sharp or otherwise dangerous objects.
Mechanical Restraint:
Employees may not use mechanical restraints to restrain a student.Training:
The District shall ensure that all appropriate personnel are trained in the use of physical restraint procedures. Efforts will be made to ensure that only those personnel who have received and maintained up-to-date training apply physical restraint procedures to students.
The District will select and approve a training program to be used in training school personnel on the use of physical restraint procedures. The District shall notify all new personnel whom the District reasonably anticipates may need to physically restrain a student of the District’s physical restraint policy and the requirement that such personnel participate in the approved training program within a reasonable time after they are hired by the District. In addition to providing training for incoming staff members, the District will also provide ongoing training for current staff members.
Staff members assigned to provide training under this policy must be certified in the training program selected by the District.
Reporting and Documenting Requirements
All restraints must be documented on the "Incident Report" Form 5630.01 F1. Any staff member utilizing a physical restraint must complete the Incident Report form and file it with the building principal within twenty-four (24) hours of the restraint incident.
The following report protocol will be followed after each restraint incident:
| A. | Staff member utilizing the physical restraint will verbally notify the building principal or his/her designee of the restraint incident as soon as possible. | |
| B. | The building principal or his/her designee will verbally notify the student’s parent/guardian as soon as possible, but no later than the end of the school day on which the restraint occurs. | |
| C. | The written Incident Report will be completed and submitted to the building principal or his/her designee within twenty-four (24) hours of the restraint incident. | |
| D. | Within twenty-four (24) hours of receiving the Incident Report, the building principal or his/her designee will provide the parent/guardian with a copy of the Incident Report. | |
| E. | A copy of the Incident Report will be placed in the student’s file. |
The Superintendent or his/her designee will maintain a record of all reported restraint incidents occurring in all school buildings during each school year.
Distribution and Availability of Policy
At the beginning of each school year, each building principal shall provide a copy of this policy to all school personnel and the parents/guardians of all students. Additionally, each school building in the District shall maintain a copy of the policy for review by all students and/or their parent/guardian.
Adopted 11/13/08
Revised 7/09