by Common Ground | Nov 16, 2025 | November 2025, Snapshot
During the 2022-23 school year, 2,470 students in New Jersey were subject to restraint and/or seclusion. Of the 2,470 students, 2,311 of them experienced either physical or mechanical restraint. Students with disabilities make up 85% of students subjected to physical...
by Common Ground | Sep 27, 2024 | Features, September 2024
The use of seclusion and restraint in schools has become a critical topic of discussion, especially concerning students with disabilities. While these methods are sometimes presented as necessary interventions to manage challenging behaviors, they raise significant...
by Common Ground | Sep 27, 2024 | Parents, September 2024
BEFORE IT HAPPENS: Parents can take proactive steps to help prevent the use of restraint or seclusion on their child in schools. Here are some effective strategies: Educate Yourself and Your Child – Learn about your child’s specific disabilities, triggers, and...
by Common Ground | Sep 27, 2024 | Capitols, Parents, Professionals, September 2024, Teachers
While restraint continues to occur in New Jersey schools, the state has made progress in addressing the issue of seclusion and restraint. In 2020, the state enacted a law requiring the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) to collect data on incidents of...
by Common Ground | Sep 27, 2024 | September 2024, Snapshot
In the context of special education, “seclusion rooms” may be referred to by various euphemisms that can sometimes obscure their purpose. These terms can vary in meaning and intent, and their use may depend on the specific practices of a school or...
by Common Ground | Apr 4, 2024 | April 2024, Courts
The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is investigating an Essex County school district to determine whether they discriminated on the basis of race and disability when placing African American students into a self-contained therapeutic...
by Common Ground | Jun 7, 2023 | Capitols, June 2023
Congressional Democrats recently reintroduced legislation, the Keeping All Students Safe Act, that would block schools from secluding students in locked rooms or using certain types of physical restraints. Supporters cite investigations revealing that schools restrain...
by Common Ground | Feb 3, 2020 | Capitols
A dozen democratic federal lawmakers, most from Illinois, have written a letter to the Trump administration calling for the Department of Education to update its 2016 guidance on restraint and seclusion. They have urged that the USDOE specifically ban seclusion; ban...
by Common Ground | Sep 6, 2018 | Capitols
The New Jersey Department of Education has issued a Guidance Document on the issue of restraint and seclusion in school settings. In January, former Governor Christie signed into law a bill establishing certain requirements for the use of restraint and seclusion with...
by Common Ground | Jan 22, 2018 | Capitols
On his final days in office, NJ Governor Chris Christie signed into law a measure that establishes requirements for use of restraint and seclusion on students with disabilities in special education. The bipartisan bill, which was passed unanimously in both houses of...
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