CHAPTER 5.00 - STUDENTS
5.121 Use Of Time Out And Physical Restraint For Students With Disabilities
I. The District shall implement behavioral management interventions for disruptive students to prevent and reduce significant disruptive behavior and to provide for the physical safety and security of students and staff when students pose a threat to themselves and/or others. The focus shall be on the use of the least restrictive but effective intervention(s) for each student.
II. Time Out
Time out is a procedure in which access to reinforcement is removed or reduced for a designated time.
A. Non-exclusion time out is the least restrictive form of time out. The student is allowed to observe the classroom activity but not participate.
B. Exclusion time out excludes the student from participation in and observation of classroom activities. The student remains in the classroom but cannot observe or participate in ongoing activities.
III. Time Out Used As A Behavior Management Technique
Seclusion or isolation in a room or area where the student is alone and prevented from leaving is strictly prohibited. A student may be placed in a non-stimulating room away from the classroom for a predetermined period of time, where the student is able to leave. The student must be observed continuously by trained personnel.
IV. Physical Restraint
A. School personnel may not use mechanical restraint. School resource officers, school safety officers, school guardians or school security guards may use mechanical restraints in the exercise of their powers and duties to restrict students in grades 6 through 12.
B. Manual physical restraint is the use of physical restraint techniques that involve physical force to restrict free movement of all or part of a student’s body. It is a method to prevent a student from harming himself/herself or others.
C. Physical restraint should only be used in an emergency situation when an immediate and significant threat to the student or others exists and must be discontinued as soon as the threat posed by the dangerous behavior has dissipated.
D. Trained, qualified school personnel may use physical restraint only when all positive behavior interventions and supports have been exhausted.
E. Physical restraint techniques may not be used to inflict pain to induce compliance.
V. Documentation and Reporting
All instances of time out, seclusion and restraint shall be documented and reported as required.
Upon the second restraint per semester of a student, the school shall develop or revise a crisis intervention plan (CIP), functional behavior assessment (FBA), or behavior intervention plan (BIP) in collaboration with the individual education plan (IEP) team and must include the parent.
VI. Notice, Monitoring and Analysis
A. At the beginning of each school year, the district shall post its policies and procedures on positive behavior interventions and supports as adopted by the school district.
B. The use of manual physical restraint or seclusion shall be monitored at the classroom, school and District levels.
C. The use of the behavior interventions, the appropriateness of use and the effectiveness of the interventions shall be analyzed.
VII. Prohibitions
School personnel shall not
A. Use a mechanical restraint or a manual physical restraint that restricts a student’s breathing or
B. Close, lock or physically block a student in a room.
VIII. Training
A. The District shall provide annual training for designated personnel in the use of time out and physical restraint.
B. Refresher training shall be conducted annually.
C. Personnel who have been trained in manual restraint techniques in positions outside of the School District shall receive training in District methods.
IX. Procedures
The Superintendent shall develop procedures to implement this policy and related statutes. Procedures shall include but not be limited to the following:
A. Incident reporting;
B. Data collection;
C. Monitoring and analysis;
D. Plan for reducing the use of restraint and seclusion;
E. Identification of staff to be trained; and
F. Training components.
Statutory Authority: 1001.41, 1001.42.F.S.
Laws Implemented:
1001.43, 1003.32, 1003.573, 1006.07, 1006.11, 1012.75, F.S.
State Board of Education Rule(s): 6A-6.03312
History:
Adopted: March 8, 2011
Revision Date(s): October 11, 2022; October 8, 2024
Formerly:
