Middletown Public Schools                                                                                              No. 6160

 

 

PREVENTION AND CRISIS INTERVENTION/

PHYSICAL RESTRAINT FOR SAFETY

 

Intent

 

            The intent of these procedures is to ensure that every student participating in Middletown schools is free from unreasonable and unnecessary physical restraint and that such an intervention is used only in emergency situations after other less intrusive alternatives have failed or been deemed inappropriate.  These procedures reflect a policy prohibiting corporal punishment.  They promote the use of positive, preventive behavioral supports that significantly limit the need for physical intervention, restrict the use of physical force, and ensure that physical restraint is administered in the least intrusive manner possible.  These procedures delineate appropriate practice in those instances where physical restraint is absolutely necessary to protect a student or students, staff and/or other school members from imminent, serious physical harm.

 

The Middletown School Department has established the procedures described in this document for the purposes of

 

(a)     Promoting student safety and preventing student violence, self‑injurious behavior and suicide, including de‑escalation of potentially dangerous behavior that may occur with an individual student or among groups of students;

 

(b)     Establishing effective crisis intervention practices and, when necessary to ensure safety, appropriate physical intervention procedures;

 

(c)     Keeping all school members informed regarding these procedures as well as preventive interventions, de‑escalation, types of restraints and related safety considerations, administering physical restraint in accordance with behavioral intervention plans and/or known medical or psychological limitations;

 

(d)    Identifying staff who are authorized to serve as a school‑wide resource to assist other staff in proper administration of these practices, and provide these staff with advanced training beyond the basic information provided to all staff, and

 

(e)     Reporting crisis intervention/physical restraint incidences to parents, the Middletown School Department administration, and the Rhode Island Department of Education.

 

Emergency Situations

 

The Middletown School Department is committed to maintaining a safe school environment.  While the procedures contained herein direct the use of crisis intervention/physical restraint, they do not prohibit any Middletown School Department teacher, employee or agent from using reasonable force to protect students, other persons or themselves from imminent, serious physical harm.

 

 A. Keeping All School Members Informed

 

Annual Professional Development

 

Each school year, Middletown School Department policies and procedures described in this document are reviewed with all school staff and parents.

 

Others wishing to review a copy of this document can access it by contacting:

 

(1)   The Building Administrator at each school

(2)   The Superintendent’s Office

26 Oliphant Lane

Middletown, RI  02842

(401) 849-2122

 

Within the first month of school, the staff training is conducted as outlined below.  Staff who are employed after the school year begins are provided this training as part of their initial orientation within the first month of their employment.

 

 

 

B. Methods for Promoting Safety and Preventing Violence

 

1.   Social and Emotional Learning for All Students

 

            Social and emotional learning and positive behavioral supports for students are addressed as appropriate as part of ongoing school improvement and professional development plans at all levels.  The Middletown School Department is committed to ensuring that systems are in place to focus on personal growth and development where children develop social skills, coping skills, and effective problem‑solving and decision making skills in real world settings.

 

Each school in the district implements practices and procedures that promote their school's mission statement.  Information is shared with families in the district through each school's home‑school communications.

 

2. Behavioral Intervention to Support Students Facing or Posing Behavioral Challenges

 

To support productive relationships and learning and to enhance connection to school for students who face or pose emotional or behavioral challenges, the following procedures are established in the Middletown School Department.  Each school has developed a plan for providing professional development to ensure that all staff are proficient in providing positive behavioral supports for all students to support positive, respectful learning communities.  Appropriate staff is provided with a range of behavioral interventions for dealing with and redirecting challenging behavior, including Functional Behavioral Assessment.  Support for staff is made available at all levels through Teacher Support Team and Evaluation Team meetings.

 

3.   Crisis Intervention: De‑escalation Procedures

 

Despite the use of positive behavioral supports and interventions, there may be instances when the behavior of one or more students escalates beyond the student's immediate control, creating danger of violence or self‑injury.  Safety precautions considered, the first course of action should be the application of specific intervention strategies designed to diffuse the situation by addressing the student’s emotional needs and de‑escalating the immediate behavior.  The intent of de‑escalation is to restore the student’s capacity to control the immediate impulse/behavior and move toward safer or more constructive resolution of the immediate problem situation.

 

In the event of student behavior representing a crisis, de‑escalation procedures outlined in each school's Crisis Management Plan should be employed.

 

4.    Crisis Intervention: Physical Restraint

 

Restraint Procedures

It is the policy of the Middletown School Department that physical restraint/crisis intervention is used only in the following circumstances:

þ   Non‑physical interventions were not or would not be effective; and

þ   The student's behavior poses a threat of imminent, serious physical harm to    self and/or others; and, where applicable,

þ    In circumstances where a behavioral intervention plan is already developed for the student, the plan has been fully implemented as specified.

 

The Middletown School Department limits the use of such force to the amount and duration necessary and reasonable to protect a student or another member of the school community from assault or imminent, serious physical harm.

 

In the event that physical restraint becomes necessary:

1)   Every attempt should be made to alert additional school personnel for observation or assistance.

2)   Only the safest physical restraint methods are to be used.

3)   Every effort should be made to isolate the restraint situation, to avoid prolonging or escalating the situation.

4)   If the duration of a physical restraint is prolonged, or student becomes deliberately and dangerously assaultive, the student’s parent(s) or guardian(s) must be notified to remove him/her from school as soon as possible to avoid further danger.  Any contact with police should follow the Middletown School Department policies (#5114 Learning Environment Suspension/Expulsion; #5114R Memorandum of Understanding Between Middletown Police Department and Middletown School Department).

5)   If the student exhibits suicidal or homicidal indicators, the school crisis team must be contacted for further intervention in accordance with district policy.

6)   The student should be released slowly from the restraint, in stages, to ensure that she/he has regained self‑control and no longer presents an apparent danger.

7)   Any injury occurring during a restraint must be treated immediately by the school nurse.  Injuries must be recorded in the Physical Restraint Report.

8)   As soon as possible following the incident, but no later than the end of the school day, the staff member(s) who administered the restraint will document the incident in a Physical Restraint Report and inform the building principal or his designee.  A copy of the report must be forwarded to the Superintendent's Office no later than the end of the next day.

9)   Follow‑up steps include parent notification, review of restraint with student, staff involved and building principal, and consideration of further action, including preventive behavioral interventions.

 

Restraint Prohibitions

Physical restraint is prohibited in the following circumstances, consistent with Rhode Island Physical Restraint Regulations effective September 1, 2002:

(a)    As a means of punishment;

(b)    As in any intervention which is designed to subject, used to subject, or likely to subject the student to verbal abuse, ridicule or humiliation, physical pain, or which can be expected to cause excessive emotional trauma;

(c)    As in any intervention which denies adequate sleep, food, water, shelter, bedding or access to bathroom facilities;

(d)    As in a restrictive intervention which employs a device or material or objects that simultaneously immobilize all four extremities, including the procedure known as prone containment, except that prone containment may be used by trained personnel as a limited emergency intervention when a documented part of a previously agreed upon written behavioral intervention plan;

(e)    As in seclusion, unless under constant surveillance and observation when documented as part of a previously agreed upon written behavioral intervention plan;

(f)     As in any intervention that precludes adequate supervision of the student;

(g)    As in any intervention which deprives the student of one or more of his or her senses.

 

Restraint Safety Procedures

The following safety procedures are in effect, consistent with Rhode Island Physical Restraint Regulations effective September 1, 2002:

 

(a)     Restraint is administered in such a way so as to prevent or minimize physical harm.  If, at any time during a physical restraint/crisis intervention, the student demonstrates significant physical distress, the student is released from the restraint immediately, and school staff is directed to take steps to seek medical assistance.

(b)     Program staff must review and consider any known medical or psychological limitations and/or behavioral intervention plans regarding the use of physical restraint/crisis intervention on an individual student.

(c)     Restraint is administered in such a way that the student is never, at any time, prevented from breathing or speaking.  During the administration of a restraint, a staff member will continuously monitor the physical status of the student, including skin color and respiration.  A restraint ceases immediately upon determination by the staff member administering the restraint that the student is no longer at risk of causing imminent physical harm to him or herself or others.

(d)   Following the release of a student from a restraint, the following follow‑up procedures are implemented:

 

þ   Appropriate staff will review the incident with the student, as appropriate, to address the behavior that precipitated the restraint;

þ   The principal, or his designee, will review the incident with the staff person(s) who administered the restraint to discuss whether proper restraint procedures were followed and consider whether any follow‑up is appropriate for the student and for students who witnessed the incident.

þ   The principal, or his designee, will review the incident with the student and consider whether and what follow‑up is appropriate for the student and for students who witness the incident.

þ    School personnel will meet to determine whether the student requires a behavioral intervention plan as part of his/her education program, or, if one already exists, whether that plan needs to be modified or adjusted.

 

C. Authorized Staff

 

Only trained personnel authorized by the Middletown School Department may administer physical restraint/crisis intervention with students.  Whenever possible, the administration of a physical restraint/crisis intervention shall be witnessed by at least one adult who does not participate in the restraint.  This training requirement does not preclude any teacher, employee or agent of the Middletown School Department from using reasonable force necessary to protect students, other persons, or themselves from imminent, serious physical harm.

The following staff has received advanced training in the use of crisis intervention/physical restraint and are authorized either to administer restraint or to also serve as a school‑wide resource to assist staff in ensuring proper administration of crisis interventions and physical restraint:

 

School	Staff	Designation/Authorization/Role
High School		(qualified as trainer of staff district wide)
Gaudet Middle School
Aquidneck		(trained to administer crisis intervention/physical restraint)

 

 Advanced Training for Authorized Staff:  Training Requirements

 

In addition to the basic training provided all staff regarding these procedures, advanced training is required for staff considered by the Middletown Schools to be qualified to administer physical restraint/crisis intervention procedures with students:

 

Need to describe training that will be provided (to whom/by whom/when)

 

For staff designated to serve as staff trainers or resource persons for colleagues and parents in the use of crisis intervention/physical restraint, the following program of advanced training, including annual review and skill enhancement experiences, is required:

 

Need to describe training that will be provided (to whom/by whom/when)

 

 

D. Reporting Instances of the Use of Physical Restraint/Crisis Intervention

 

As soon as possible following the incident, but no later than the end of the school day, the staff member(s) who administered the restraint will document the incident in a Physical Restraint Report (Appendix A) and submits it to the building principal or his/her designee.  A copy of the report must be forwarded to the Superintendent's Office no later than the end of the next day.

Each principal as well as the Superintendent's Office maintains an ongoing written record of all reported instances of physical restraint.

As soon as possible, but not later than the end of the next school day, the student's parent(s) or guardian(s) are notified either by telephone or individual conference of the restraint incident.  A copy of the Physical Restraint/Crisis Intervention Report is to be sent to parent/guardian no later than two days after the incident (date copy sent is to be noted in appropriate area on report).

Each year, as part of its reporting requirements, the Middletown School Department submits a report regarding all incidents of the use of physical restraint/crisis intervention to the Rhode Island Department of Education.

 

E. Procedures for Investigating Complaints

 

Parents or guardians wishing to register a complaint regarding an individual Physical Restraint/Crisis Intervention Report may do so by completing a complaint form (Appendix B) and submitting it to the office of the Superintendent of the Middletown School Department.  The Superintendent will designate an individual, or team, to investigate and resolve any concerns addressed in the complaint.

 

Appendix A – Physical Restraint/Crisis Intervention Report Form

 

MIDDLETOWN SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

 

Physical Restraint/Crisis Intervention Report

 

Date of Incident:

Date of Report:

Person Completing Report:

NAME

TITLE/POSITION

Person(s) who administered restraint:

NAME

TITLE/POSITION

Physical restraint began at:

And ended at:

Duration:

TIME

TIME

MINUTES

Administrator informed following the restraint:

NAME

TITLE/POSITION

Observers:

NAME

NAME

NAME

NAME

Location and activity in which restrained student, other students and staff in the vicinity were engaged when the restraint occurred:

Behavior prompting the restraint:

Description of de-escalation efforts and alternatives attempted:

Justification for initiating physical restraint/crisis intervention:

Description of the physical restraint/crisis intervention implemented

(a)  Hold(s) utilized and rationale for type of hold:

(b)  Student’s behavior/reactions during restraint:

(c)  How restraint ended:       (d)   Did an injury occur in the process of restraint?     Yes: _________   No: _________

If yes:  Student and/or Staff injured:

Nature of Injury:

(e)  Medical care provided (Include care provide, to whom, by whom):

Follow-up Action

(a)  Further action(s) that the school has taken or will take:

(b)  If Applicable – Development or modification of a behavior intervention plan as a result of the physical restraint (Include reference to any such plans contained in separate documents.):

Parent(s) or Guardian(s) of the student referenced in this report were informed about this restraint incident on:

Date:

Method of Initial Notification

Conference

Phone

CHECK ONE

CONTACT:

Copy of report mailed to Parent/Guardian

NAME/POSITION OF STAFF MEMBER

DATE MAILED

 

 

Appendix B – Physical Restraint Complaint Form

 

Middletown School Department

26 Oliphant Lane

Middletown, RI    02842

401-849-2122

 

 

Name of Complainant:                                                                                                         

 

Address:                                                                                                                                

 

Child’s Name:                                                                                                                       

 

School:                                                                                                                                   

 

 Specific Nature of Complaint:

 

                                                                                                                                               

 

                                                                                                                                               

 

                                                                                                                                               

 

                                                                                                                                               

 

                                                                                                                                               

 

                                                                                                                                               

 

                                                                                                                                               

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                               

                                  Signature                                                                   Date

 

 

                                                                                                                                               

Daytime Telephone Number                                     Evening Telephone Number

 

 

Please attach to this form a copy of the Physical Restraint/Crisis Intervention Report that was mailed to you.

 

 

First Reading – December 19, 2002

Approved and Adopted – January 16, 2003