White House Meeting....

White House meeting on restraint, seclusion called good first step



The latest sign that the federal government may develop policies around the use of restraint and

seclusion in schools came the week of May 25, when representatives of education and disability

groups met to share their views on the issue at the White House with Kareem Dale, special

assistant to the president for disability policy.

The very fact that the meeting occurred was notable, according to Curt Decker, executive director

of the National Disability Rights Network. "In my initial forays into the Bush administration, I was

totally rebuffed" on this issue, he said.

In contrast, the people at the May 26 meeting seemed to agree that something needed to be

done about restraint and seclusion in schools, he said.

Bill East, executive director of the National Association of State Directors of Special Education,

came away with a similar impression. "We did not talk about, 'Is this a problem? Do we need to

work on it?'" he said. "It was assumed that we were already beyond that."

Decker said he gave Dale a list of about 25 people to invite to the meeting, including

representatives of groups with which NDRN is sometimes at odds. "If they're not around the table,

then . . . we're just talking among ourselves," he said. In the end, at least 40 people attended the

event, he and East estimated.

Education Department staff in attendance included Patty Guard, acting OSEP director, and Larry

Wexler, director of OSEP's Research to Practice Division, East said.

The White House press office declined to make Dale available for an interview but said in an email

that the meeting was "very productive."

"The White House is very concerned about the restraint and seclusion issue, especially the

deaths and serious injuries that have taken place across the country," wrote Shin Inouye, director

of specialty media. "We are committed to working with the Secretary of Education, Congress and

the community to explore solutions to this issue."

Education groups call for resources

Education groups such as the American Association of School Administrators and the National

School Boards Association insisted that schools be given the resources to implement any new

directives on restraint and seclusion, East said.

Likewise, extensive training would be required to scale up programs of positive behavioral

interventions and support, these groups said.

"I think everybody agreed with that -- it's going to take much more than just putting a policy out,"

East said.

There was also agreement that whatever is done on restraint and seclusion must have a

nationwide aspect to it, he said.

Decker concurred, saying the "almost universal" reaction to the idea of giving state and local

officials flexibility on restraint and seclusion in schools was, "That's what we've been doing, and it

doesn't work."

Decker said he remains concerned that states will, indeed, retain a great deal of discretion on

restraint and seclusion, however. In fact, he was not reassured when Education Secretary Arne

Duncan told the House Education and Labor Committee on May 20 that he wants states to

submit plans by this fall for making sure children are not unnecessarily restrained or secluded.

"Asking states for a plan sort of sent the message that maybe this is still going to be looked at as

a state-by-state issue," Decker said.

That being said, Decker is delighted that the White House held the meeting, especially because

restraint and seclusion in schools was the only item on the agenda. "My biggest concern all along

has been just getting this issue in the forefront and identified as real," he said.

Mark W. Sherman, a Washington bureau correspondent, covers special education issues for LRP

Publications.

May 29, 2009

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