© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY · WNPR
WPKT · WRLI-FM · WEDW-FM · Public Files Contact
ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

State Report Shows Pressing Need to Understand Bad Behavior in Schools

A federal commission found that restraint and seclusion often worsen trauma for a child.

Imagine walking into your young child's classroom and seeing him on the floor, his hands behind his back, as if he was being arrested. This is what happened to Lisbeth Ehrlich in Darien. 

"It's profoundly disturbing,” Ehrlich said. “It is surreal; it's something you cannot believe you're seeing."

In Ehrlich's case, she said it was done because her son "didn't want to sit through circle time." A new report from the Office of the Child Advocate shows that cases like Ehrlich's are not unusual, and that some kids have been restrained or secluded for minor behavior problems such as throwing puzzle pieces on the floor or swinging a coat around.

The State Department of Education released data last year showing that the number of restraints and seclusions increased by over 2,000 incidents compared to the year before.

Credit State Department of Education
Bar chart illustrating grades of students restrained and or secluded in 2012-13 and 2013-14.

This has Sarah Eagan concerned. Eagan is the state's Child Advocate, and her office's report shows a system in need of an overhaul.

"These practices can be harmful, and research shows they're not effective," Eagan said.

Since the state began tracking data three years ago, over 1,300 students were injured as a result of being restrained or secluded, with some injuries categorized as serious in nature, meaning the student required medical attention beyond first aide.

Federal laws limit the use of force and isolation on children in federally-funded health programs, but these laws do not place the same limitations on school districts.

Emergency restraints or seclusions are supposed to only be used when the student could harm him/herself or others, but Eagan’s team found that some students were sent into padded rooms for things as simple as bragging about winning after losing a game or putting away a lunch box.

Credit Office of the Child Advocate
A note, written by an educator, showing that a student was placed in a room alone for claiming he won after losing a game. Despite the law stating that seclusion should only be used if a child is a danger to himself or others, as indicated by the second writing prompt, the educator writes that the seclusion was used to modify his behavior.

Data from the state, which the child advocate used to dig deeper, shows the following trends:

  • A higher percentage of girls were restrained or secluded than last year
  • A higher percentage of students were restrained or secluded more than 100 times in a year than last year
  • Eight students were restrained or secluded over 300 times in a year
  • Eight fewer injuries compared to the year before
  • The average length of time a student is restrained or secluded decreased compared to the year before.

Strategy Not Supported By Research

The state breaks up these incidents into three categories:  emergency restraints; emergency seclusions; and seclusions via an IEP, which is the individualized education plan developed for a student receiving special education services. 

But using seclusion as a behavior intervention strategy is not supported by any research, Eagan said, and often ends up doing more harm than good.

"The use of seclusion as a behavior management tool is concerning," the child advocate report said, "as research supports the conclusion that seclusion may be traumatic, and no research supports the use of seclusion — differentiated from therapeutic time out or brief removal from positive reinforcement — as a therapeutic behavioral intervention."

Credit Alberto Cairo / ProPublica
/
ProPublica
A restraint method known as the "prone hold."

A 2009 study by the National Disability Rights Network reported a wide variety of injuries and deaths happened because of seclusions and restraints.

The federal government’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health found that restraint and seclusion often worsen trauma for a child, and can lead to a sense of loss of dignity and other psychological harm. According to the Child Welfare League of America, restraint and seclusion can also “severely traumatize individuals and result in lasting adverse psychological effects.”

Credit Office of the Child Advocate
A Rifton chair is typically used for children with physical disabilities who may need help with posture and sitting. Rifton chairs should not be used to restrain a child for behavioral reasons, but an investigation by the Office of the Child Advocate found a child was strapped into this chair “as needed”, and may have been strapped down for simply throwing puzzle pieces onto the floor.

“Individuals who have been restrained and secluded describe these events as punitive and aversive, leaving lingering psychological scars,” the organization stated in 2004.

The State Department of Education wrote in its report that “seclusion is only written into an IEP when all other less restrictive interventions have been exhausted, a functional behavior assessment (FBA) has been conducted, and the [student’s education team] has determined that the use of seclusion is an appropriate intervention.”

However, in practice, Eagan’s team found that 19 of the 70 students they randomly sampled had been restrained or secluded without having a functional behavior assessment, which is a method of deciphering the messages that underlie certain behavior – a complex form of translation.

But schools often misinterpret behavior, focusing too much on the “what” of the student’s actions instead of the “why,” Eagan said.

For example, a student identified as Javier in Eagan’s report had seclusion written into his education plan. Once secluded for minor behavior problems, he would make suicidal gestures, and even once remarked that he wanted to die and tied a shoelace around his neck.

“Javier’s case review raises significant concerns regarding possible unidentified or unmet educational needs, and escalating suicidal behavior while in seclusion,” the child advocate report said. “Very concerning, is that Javier’s Behavioral Intervention Plan calls for closed door seclusion if he engages in unsafe behavior -- despite his documented propensity for engaging in suicidal gestures while in closed door seclusion.”

After the function of the problem behavior is better understood, the student is supposed to be given a behavior intervention plan, or BIP. This aims to catch the problem behavior before it escalates. Eagan’s report concluded that 12 of the 70 students sampled didn’t have a BIP. Many of the existing plans were found to be overly general and didn't address the students' specific needs, which is counter to state and federal special education laws.

Training Educators Not to Use Force or Isolation

Eagan and her team also found that districts lack the documentation to show whether using restraints and seclusions were appropriate for the behavior, and whether it improved outcomes for students.

The state also only requires that school districts report incidents involving students in special education, or who are in the process of being evaluated for special education. This can be problematic, Eagan noted, since many children could be held down or locked away and it would never be known, simply because the students were not in special education. Additionally, some students should be getting special education services but are not, so incidents involving them are also not reported. 

Credit Chion Wolf / WNPR
/
WNPR
Sarah Eagan, Connecticut's Child Advocate, in a WNPR file photo.
"Social-emotional well-being is critical to closing the achievement gap, and supporting better outcomes for children and youth."
Sarah Eagan

A disproportionate number of students who are restrained or secluded have autism. The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, a group underneath the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, noted that restraining or secluding a child with autism is a "treatment failure" that can worsen behavior and lead to further trauma. 

According to Eagan, part of solution involves training educators about behavior intervention strategies that don't involve physical force or isolation. This also includes recognizing that social-emotional health is as important for student success as academics.

"Social-emotional well-being is critical to closing the achievement gap and supporting better outcomes for children and youth," Eagan said.

Teachers and aides report a lack of training and resources to get trained, and many have expressed concern that they're being asked to do more with less. Eagan said it's a matter of making this issue a priority for policy-makers, legislators and educators, so that progress can be made collaboratively. 

Leadership training is crucial to changing a culture wherein educators feel it is appropriate to hold down or lock away a child for minor behavior problems, according to Eagan. Her office is working with the state and local agencies to achieve this goal.

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy is co-sponsoring a bill called the Keeping All Students Safe Act that would limit restraints and seclusions to emergency situations in schools.

“There is still a lot of work to do to make sure these practices are never used in ways that hurt kids and inhibit their ability to succeed at school,” Murphy stated in a press release.

Some states have taken it upon themselves to limit force and isolation. Massachusetts recently passed a law that completely prohibits secluding a student.

For parent Lisbeth Ehrlich, restraints or seclusions should only be used in the most extreme circumstances.

“In effect, an inappropriate restraint or seclusion is, I would consider, a form of neglect or abuse,” Ehrlich said. “If someone pushed you to the ground and put your arm behind your back, that would be assault. But children don't seem to enjoy the same protection."

David finds and tells stories about education and learning for WNPR radio and its website. He also teaches journalism and media literacy to high school students, and he starts the year with the lesson: “Conflicts of interest: Real or perceived? Both matter.” He thinks he has a sense of humor, and he also finds writing in the third person awkward, but he does it anyway.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content