JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council stresses the importance of Missourians acknowledging that restraint, seclusion and other aversive interventions do not improve students’ academic performance or behavior. Therefore, schools should only use them when there is grave and immediate danger to human life and after all other alternatives have been attempted and proved ineffective.
The Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council’s full list of recommendations is available online here: https://moddcouncil.org/…/restraint-and-seclusion-in…/
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) recently published a report of Seclusion and Restraint Aggregate Data for the first half of the 2022-2023 school year.
The data shows that 171 districts reported at least one incident of restraint or seclusion with 2,405 incidents of seclusion; 17 incidents of mechanical restraint; 3,900 incidents of physical restraint; five incidents of prone restraint; and 35 incidents of other restraint.
Those interested in viewing the full report, can find it at https://apps.dese.mo.gov/MCDS/Home.aspx. Select “Reports and Resources” at the top, select “Students” on the left menu, and scroll down to the “Seclusion and Restraint” report.
Missouri Disability Empowerment Foundation developed a map that visually presents the data in an engaging and easy to understand format. Users can view the reported data by district. The map is available here:
Seclusion and Restraint
MODDC encourages Missourians to ask their school district what positive behavior supports they are providing to students.
Parents can file a complaint with Missouri Protection & Advocacy Services (Mo P&A) at 800-392-8667 if their child is experiencing restraint and/or seclusion. Missourians can reach out to legislators with questions or concerns. Legislator contact information is located here: https://house.mo.gov/legislatorlookup.aspx
The Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council (MODDC) is a federally-funded, 23-member, consumer-driven council appointed by the Governor. Its mandate under P.L. 106-402, the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, is to assure that individuals with developmental disabilities and their families participate in the design of and have access to needed community services, individualized supports, and other forms of assistance that promote self-determination, independence, productivity and integration in all aspects of community life.
To learn more or to get involved, visit www.moddcouncil.