Administrative Procedure: 357
PHYSICAL RESTRAINT AND SECLUSION OF A STUDENT
Background
The District is committed to providing a safe, secure and respectful environment for students and employees. All students and employees contribute to and maintain this environment.
Aligned with the BC Ministry of Education, the District is committed to prevention as the best method for maintaining a safe, secure and respectful environment conducive to the learning of all students. Positive behavioural supports are routinely provided to students. Board employees use a variety of progressive and supportive interventions to respond to a range of student behaviours and every effort is made by employees to use preventative actions that preclude the need for physical restraint or seclusion.
The Board procedure and regulation for the physical restraint and seclusion of a student is aligned with the BC Ministry of Education Provincial Guidelines for Physical Restraint and Seclusion in School Settings, 2015.
Definitions
1. Physical Restraint
Physical Restraint is a temporary method of restricting another person’s freedom of movement or mobility in order to secure and maintain the safety of the person, the safety of others or property damage. This goes beyond the prompting of a student when teaching a skill, redirecting attention, providing comfort and safety, preventing injury or assisting removal to a safe location that at times may include temporary touching or holding of a student’s hand, wrist, arm, shoulder or back.
2. Seclusion
Seclusion is the involuntary confinement of a person, alone in a room, enclosure or space from which the person is physically prevented from leaving. Behaviour strategies, such as time out (removal from an apparent reinforcing setting to a presumably non-reinforcing setting for a specified and limited period of time), used for social reinforcement as part of a behavior or safety plan, are not considered seclusion. The term seclusion does not apply where a student has requested to be in a different secluded location or space.
Guiding Principles
1. Prevention and de-escalation are the first steps in developing and implementing proactive strategies to minimize physical aggression or safety threats. On rare occasions, strategies as outlined in a pre-determined plan of action may not have the desired effect with the unintended outcome that a student is at significant risk of causing injury to self or others. In these rare events, it may be necessary to apply reasonable physical restraint or seclusion.
2. Physical restraint or seclusion may be used only in the rare circumstances when the behaviour of a student poses imminent danger of harm to self or others and when less restrictive interventions have been ineffective in ending the danger or harm.
3. Physical restraint or seclusion may never be used as a punishment, discipline or to force compliance in an educational learning setting.
4. Physical restraint or seclusion are never used as part of an educational or safety plan including a Positive Behaviour Support Plan, Safety Plan or Individual Education Plan.
5. Physical restraint or seclusion must be discontinued once imminent danger or harm has dissipated and the student is self-regulated.
6. All Delta School District staff involved in implementing physical restraint or seclusion must be trained in the use of a de-escalation, verbal/physical intervention and debrief framework such as Non-Violent Crisis Intervention (CPI).
7. In the event that a student is at significant risk of causing injury to self or others and staff have determined that the use of physical restraint or seclusion is not a safe option, emergency services must be accessed immediately by contacting 911. Other students and staff must be removed from the area to a safe location.
8. The seclusion of a student should only be used to secure a location, when a student has escalated to a point that constitutes an imminent risk of harm to self or others. It thus serves as a barrier/perimeter to ensure the safety of others who have been evacuated from the area. School personnel must observe at a safe distance to monitor the student’s safety/well-being.
District Responsibilities
1. The District will provide opportunities for district and school staff to acquire the training necessary to conduct required educational and safety plans including Functional Behaviour Assessments, Positive Behaviour Support Plans and Safety Plans.
2. The District will provide opportunities for district and school staff to acquire training in the use of a de-escalation, verbal/physical intervention and debrief framework.
3. The District will provide the training and support necessary to work with students in situations where there is a potential for behaviour that presents a danger to self or others.
4. The District will have a process and schedule for regular review of the physical restraint and seclusion procedures to ensure alignment with current research and practice, including employee Health and Safety regulations.
School Responsibilities
1. The Principal or designate in collaboration with all involved personnel will follow the four steps involved in the physical restraint and seclusion process including: application of restraint or seclusion, notification, debriefing and follow up.
1.1 Step 1: Application of Restraint or Seclusion
1.1.1 The Principal or designate monitors the implementation of educational and safety plans and staff participation in required training to prevent the use of restraint or seclusion of a student other than in the rare event that the student is in imminent danger of causing injury to self or others and to ensure that the application of physical restraint or seclusion is in accordance with this Administrative Procedure.
1.1.2 The application of physical restraint or seclusion must be in accordance with this Administrative Procedure and must be conducted as per a District mandated de-escalation, verbal/physical intervention and debrief framework (e.g., Non-Violent Crisis Intervention, CPI). The application of physical restraint or seclusion must involve the use of the minimum amount of force needed to prevent a student from causing injury to self or others and shall take place in the presence of another adult when possible.
1.2 Step 2: Notification
1.2.1 The Principal or designate will notify the parent/guardian as soon as possible after the physical restraint or seclusion has occurred. Normally, notification will occur before the end of the school day on the day on which the incident occurred.
1.2.2 The Principal or designate will notify the Director of Learning Services, Inclusive Learning as soon as possible after the physical restraint or seclusion has been used by a school employee. This notification results in the involvement of appropriate district staff to assist with the review and revision of educational and safety plans and informs the review and modification of staff training and support requirements.
1.3 Step 3: Debrief
1.3.1 Following the physical restraint or seclusion, the Principal or designate will implement a debrief process involving as appropriate the student who experienced the physical restraint or seclusion, involved staff and any students who witnessed the event. The debrief process will take place at an appropriate time and in a manner suitable to the student(s) and staff and in accordance with research and best practice as related to debrief processes. The debrief will aim to re-establish and maintain a safe learning environment and supportive relationships.
1.4 Step 4: Follow Up
1.4.1 Following the use of physical restraint or seclusion, the Principal or designate monitors the review and revision of educational and safety plans to determine and respond to the underlying cause of the incident. Review, revision, and implementation of Functional Behavior Assessments, Individual Education Plans, Positive Behavioral Support Plans, Safety Plans and Integrated Case Management will occur as appropriate and with assistance as needed from district staff following a physical restraint or seclusion event.
1.4.2 The Principal or designate monitors the implementation of required district documentation including the Student Incident Report, the Workplace Risk Assessment and the Employee Incident Report as appropriate.
References: The School Act
Civil Rights Code
Human Rights Act
Safe and Caring Schools
June 2015 BC Provincial Guidelines for Physical Restraint and Seclusion
District Code of Conduct
Work Safe BC Regulations
Revised: June 2019