A young man hanged himself while in “seclusion cell” at a Georgia school.  The parents were unaware this technique had been used with their son.  http://www.kansascity.com/2010/02/25/1773137/many-states-dont-regulate-seclusion.html

I once represented the family of a child in kindergarten.  He was kept in a wooden box at the back of his class, with only an eye slit for him to see out.  He bloodied his head from banging against the walls of his box.

In July of 2009, the U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, urged all states to review current policies and guidelines on using restraint and seclusion in schools.  “Restraint and seclusion policies should be reviewed regularly to prevent the abuse of such techniques and ensure that schools provide a safe learning environment for all of our children.”

Missouri and Kansas have no state regulations in place.   Missouri “school districts are required to have policies on restraints by July 2011.”  Kansas is “developing a collection tool for schools to report quarterly seclusion data” to augment its existing guidelines, as set forth at www.drckansas.org/publications/SRGUIDELINES.pdf

Federal legislation limiting restraint and seclusion and requiring behavior management training for educators are in a bill passed by the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee earlier this month.

For a summary of state laws, regulations, policies, and guidelines, go to: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/seclusion/seclusion-state-summary.html