The Wrightslaw Way

- From Jessica Butler, Congressional Affairs Coordinator, Autism National Committee Would your organization like to sign-on to a letter in support of the Keeping All Students Safe Act, the Congressional bill to protect all American schoolchildren from dangerous restraint and seclusion? Restraint and seclusion kill and injure students GAO documented 20 deaths Restraint and seclusion […]

Wrightslaw is live blogging from the Institute of Special Education Advocacy (ISEA) all week. We hope you will join us! Day 1    Day 2 & 3     Day 4    Day 5 Monday July 23, 2012 Welcome! Six sessions are scheduled today. We are updating the blog during and after each session, so check back often. […]

Senate Hearing on Restraint and Seclusion:  “Beyond Seclusion and Restraint:  Creating Positive Learning Environments for All Students.” Postponed until Thursday, July 12, 2012, 10:30 AM, Location TBA. June 28, 2012, 10:00 AM, Room Dirksen 106   The hearings will be broadcast live at http://www.help.senate.gov/hearings/  .  Witnesses expected to testify have strong expertise in the use of […]

On May 9, Congressman George Miller delivered a floor speech urging Congress to pass the Keeping All Students Safe Act, H.R. 1381, and protect children from abusive restraint and seclusion. Miller also rolled out a new restraint/seclusion webpage and published a letter he had sent urging quick action on the bill. This week, Senators Tom […]

Updated May 2013! How Safe Is The Schoolhouse? An Analysis of State Seclusion and Restraint Laws and Policies by Jessica Butler. This Report has been updated to include changes made in 2012 and early 2013 to state restraint and seclusion laws and policies and more fully discusses laws applicable to all children. Get a bullet […]

I have a 10 year old son who has Down syndrome. He is significantly developmentally delayed and does not speak. His teacher decided to make a storage closet in his classroom his timeout room.  She put a chair in the closet facing the wall, several times a day she sat him in there and made […]

by Tricia and Calvin Luker, www.ourchildrenleftbehind.com Earlier this year, Congressman George Miller introduced and championed the “Keeping All Students Safe Act” in the House of Representatives. Miller’s bill took substantial steps to eliminate the use of restraint and seclusion in our schools. The bill passed and was sent to the Senate. The Senate version of […]

In their article, Eye on the Prize: Keeping All Children Safe, Tricia and Calvin Luker, from Our Children Left Behind, provide a summary of the provisions passed by the House in The Keeping All Students Safe Act. You’ll find a status report on the bill introduced in the Senate, information from significant informal discussions, links […]

On Tuesday, July 13, we received the text of an article, “Preventing Harmful Restraint/Seclusion in Schools Act” by Jess Butler, Esq.  Jess is the Congressional Affairs Coordinator for the Autism National Committee (www.autcom.org), was previously Chair of the Board of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, and co-chaired its Congressional Affairs efforts. We published […]

Call your Senators and ask them to pass S.2860, the restraint/seclusion bill as it passed the House.  Dial 202-224-3121 or go to http://www.senate.gov, click on Senators for contact information (including local numbers).  Ask for your Senator’s Education Aide or HELP Committee aide, and leave a detailed voicemail message if they are unavailable. (More contact details […]