Jun. 24, 2023, 8:07 a.m.An example of a quiet room included in a 2020 U.S. Government Accountability Office. Schools sometimes lock students in standalone, padded rooms to control behavior. Illustration by Ruth Serven Smith/AL.comAlabama schools reported students being physically restrained by school employees thousands of times -- just in one year.
When students are unruly or endanger others at school, educators may discipline, suspend or expel students who break the rules. School administrators and special education personnel are responsible for bringing those techniques to teachers to help them appropriately discipline students with behavioral problems.
A single incidence of restraint should trigger a review of the type of behavioral support the child is given. If a child is restrained more than one time, Anderson said, school and district officials probably haven’t addressed the behavior that caused the problem.