Seclusion and Restraint as an Emergency Crisis Response

Although they are considered controversial, procedures to enforce seclusion and restraint of students are often implemented in school settings during emergency situations. Various ethical and legal issues arise when school personnel implement these strategies. This chapter describes these issues, as well as the Government Accountability Office report on the abuse of seclusion and restraint. Various de-escalation packages are described, along with considerations of these packages, particularly to guide individuals on how to select a package that is appropriate for their staff members. Finally, this chapter includes a description of the limitations of de-escalation packages and a practical summary and conclusion for practitioners to consider when evaluating the use of seclusion and restraint in their work environment.