This bill, called the Keeping All Students Safe Act, sets strict rules about how schools can use restraint and seclusion on students. The main goal is to protect kids from harmful practices while they're at school.

Here's what the law prohibits: Schools can no longer use seclusion (locking a student alone in a room), mechanical restraints (devices that restrict movement), chemical restraints (drugs used to control behavior), or any restraint that restricts breathing or blood flow to the brain. Physical restraint is only allowed in very specific emergencies—when a student's behavior poses immediate danger of serious injury and less restrictive methods won't work. Even then, only trained staff can do it, and it must stop immediately once the danger passes.

The law requires schools to have detailed procedures after any restraint incident. Parents must be notified the same day verbally and within 24 hours in writing with specifics about what happened. Within five school days, the school must meet with parents to discuss what led to the incident and how to prevent it in the future. Schools must also train their staff through state-approved crisis intervention programs that focus on de-escalation and positive behavior support instead of physical force.

States must report data on restraint incidents to the federal government, broken down by student demographics and type of school, so the public can see what's happening. Schools that receive federal funding and violate these rules can lose that funding. Students or parents can also sue schools in court if these rules are broken. The law provides federal grants to help states and schools implement these protections and develop better approaches like mental health support and restorative justice programs.

Keeping All Students Safe Act

Murphy, Christopher

Keeping All Students Safe Act This bill prohibits the use of seclusion and limits the use of physical restraint in schools and Head Start programs that receive federal funding. Specifically, the bill prohibits the use of seclusion, which is the involuntary confinement of a student alone in a room or area from which the student is physically prevented from leaving. The term does not include a time out, which may involve separating the student from others in a non-locked setting. The bill prohibits the use of mechanical or chemical restraints or physical restraints that restrict breathing or are life threatening. The bill outlines the requirements for the use of physical restraint, including that the student's behavior must pose an imminent danger of serious physical injury to the student or other individual. Each state must ensure that a sufficient number of program personnel are trained and certified by a state-approved crisis intervention training program. Additionally, each program must establish procedures to follow after an incident involving physical restraint. Further, the bill establishes enforcement provisions, including a private right of action for a student who has been subjected to unlawful seclusion or restraint. The Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services must withhold payments from a program for unlawful seclusion or restraint. Finally, the bill requires each state educational agency (SEA) to establish, implement, and enforce policies and procedures required by the bill. It also creates a grant program to assist SEAs with these activities.