Regarding the use of restraints and seclusion in HUUSD schools
May 11, 2022 | By the Waterbury Area Anti-Racism CoalitionEditor’s note: The following is a position statement by the Waterbury Area Anti-Racism Coalition submitted by member Life LeGeros to the Harwood Unified Union School District School Board.
The Waterbury Area Anti-Racism Coalition calls for the Harwood Union Unified School District School Board to:
Immediately cease in all HUUSD schools the use of restraints that restrict breathing (i.e., prone and supine restraints). According to the U.S. Department of Education, prone restraints are dangerous: “Prone (i.e., lying face down) restraints or other restraints that restrict breathing should never be used because they can cause serious injury or death.”(1) They are outlawed in several states for this reason.(2)
Establish a process for investigating the use of restraints and seclusion in HUUSD schools, including the impact by student populations (e.g., gender, race, disability status). The U.S. Department of Education has established that restraints and seclusion are ineffective and should only be used when a “child’s behavior poses an imminent danger of physical harm to self or others.”(3) According to the Office of Civil Rights, HUUSD had 451 instances of physical restraint in 2017,(4) more than twice as many as any other district in Vermont. Furthermore, at a national level we know that in 2017-18, Black students comprised 15% of students, but 27% of students restrained and 23% of students secluded.(5) Our community needs to understand why HUUSD uses a disproportionate amount of restraints compared to other districts, and whether it is disproportionately impacting certain groups of students.
Establish a process for reviewing discipline policies and practices in terms of the extent to which they are trauma-informed and applied in an equitable fashion. It is well established in Vermont and nationally that school discipline is disproportionately applied to Black students and other students with identities that have been historically marginalized.(6) In order to fulfill HUUSD’s commitment to equity, we should have a full and transparent audit of the impact of discipline policies and recommendations for making them more trauma-informed and equitable.
We call on the School Board and administrators to disrupt inequity and harm in our discipline policies in order to move our schools toward the WAARC vision of a community where every person can experience freedom, belonging, and love.
Footnote sources:
(1) Restraint and Seclusion Resource Document by the U.S. Department of Education, p. 16
(2) Summary of State Laws (Statutes and Regulations) by Wrightslaw
(3) Restraint and Seclusion Resource Document by the U.S. Department of Education, p. 2
(4) Civil Rights Data Collection, HUUSD data
(5) The Use of Restraint and Seclusion on K-12 Students with Disabilities by the Office of Civil Rights
(6) Kicked Out! Unfair and Unequal Discipline in Vermont’s Public Schools by Vermont Legal Aid