Emergency Safety Interventions Presented by: Linda Aldridge, Ed.D. Joan Robbins, Ph.D. Facilitator Notes Intended Audience: All staff, licensed and classified, who have experienced the initial all staff presentation and who will benefit from on-going professional development. Presentation time: 15 minutes Set Up: Adults should be seated in small groups, three to six per group A scenario is embedded; allow one minute discussion time for this scenario. Do not extend thinking time. Remember, rapid pace. Evaluation: Quiz at end through Infinitec or to be downloaded and used on-site Talking Points Explanation: Power Point notes include key talking points that will be discussed in voice overs. Listen to participant discussion. Make sure talking points are emphasized, especially if talking points did not emerge in participant discussion. Kansas State Department of Education | Landon State Office Building 900 SW Jackson St., Suite 102, Topeka, KS 66612 | | mmelton@ksde.org

Preschool Car Seat Scenario ESI: Preschool Car Seat Scenario Facilitator Notes Intended Audience: All staff, licensed and classified, who have experienced the initial all staff presentation and who will benefit from on-going professional development. Presentation time: 15 minutes Set Up: Adults should be seated in small groups, three to six per group A scenario is embedded; allow one minute discussion time for this scenario. Do not extend thinking time. Remember, rapid pace. Evaluation: Quiz at end through Infinitec or to be downloaded and used on-site Talking Points Explanation: Power Point notes include key talking points that will be discussed in voice overs. Listen to participant discussion. Make sure talking points are emphasized, especially if talking points did not emerge in participant discussion. Kansas State Department of Education | Landon State Office Building 900 SW Jackson St., Suite 102, Topeka, KS 66612 | | mmelton@ksde.org

Presenters: Linda Aldridge, Ed.D. Joan Robbins, Ph.D.

Attention Please! This is important. Facilitator Notes Please share with participants: Short presentation (15 min.) Accountability – evaluation at end of presentation State requirement that EACH staff member has some minimum knowledge regarding emergency safety interventions Voice over power point Embedded scenarios for discussion (Power Point must be paused for participant discussion) This is important.

Emergency Safety Interventions Seclusion Restraint Talking Point Seclusion and restraint are the two interventions referenced in State law and district policy.

When is seclusion/restraint allowed? Reasonable and immediate danger of physical harm Present ability to affect such harm Cease as soon as immediate danger ceases to exist Violent action that is destructive of property Talking Points Key words are “immediate” and “present ability.” Consider the “reasonable person” strategy. Size and age of child, comparative physical status of adult, nature of danger, access to resources, etc. ALL impact the individual’s judgement at the time of the incident. Property damage – Yes, damage to property can be a basis for utilizing ESIs, BUT consider: District policy Nature of “damage” Is protection of property really worth possible injury to student and/or adult?

PREVENTION Talking Points Seclusion and restraint are EMERGENCY interventions. If student behavior is predictable (has happened previously) PLAN for provision of supports that prevent dangerous situations from arising, or that can assist in de-escalation prior to emergence of dangerous behaviors. An emergency means someone is about to get hurt or is getting hurt. Something needs to be done right away. Through planning, avoid emergencies.

Key Documents State Statute District Policy KSDE ESI Guidance Document Talking Points State law provides explicit requirements regarding seclusion and restraint. Every district has a policy regarding emergency safety interventions. KSDE establishes expectations via Emergency Safety Intervention Revised Guidance Document. Documents are available on your district web-site and the KSDE web-site.

Definition - Seclusion Purposefully placed Isolated from adults and peers Egress is not permitted or the student reasonably believes she is not allowed to leave Talking Points Based upon statutory language. All three conditions must be met. If the “adult present” is there solely to prevent egress, the child is still considered to be isolated and is, therefore, considered to be secluded. If a teacher “directs” placement, it could be reasonably assumed that the student IS NOT permitted to leave. Must be considered from the perspective of the child.

Definition – Physical Restraint Bodily force used to substantially limit a student’s movement Talking Points Based upon statutory language. Share key terms, but don’t get too hung up on the details. Not to be used for adult convenience or as punishment. Remember, mechanical, prone, and chemical restraint – specifically prohibited

Test your understanding Car drop-off at beginning of school day Pre-school student refuses to get out of the car seat Angry, tired mother directs the teacher to “just pull him out of there and carry him in.” Traffic is piling up; horns are honking. The teacher on car duty lifts the child out of the car seat and carries him, kicking and screaming, into the school. Once inside, the child continues to sob, but walks independently to her preschool classroom. Talking Points What should the teacher do? Is this an emergency? If the student is forced out of the car seat, is this restraint? Is restraint warranted? What plans can/should be made for future situations of this nature? Please pause the presentation and allow participants one or two minutes to discuss this situation.

Thoughts from Joan and Linda Uh-oh, this IS physical restraint. And this child is having a horrible start to her school day. A better course of action: Ask parent to pull out of line. Take the time necessary for the child to become calm. Gently invite the child into the school when she is ready. Provide the teacher with a re-run of seclusion/restraint PD. Contact the parent, informing her that this was a restraint situation. Invite the parent to plan for a different course of action, should this situation occur again. Talking Point This is a common situation. Have a plan! Remember, especially when mistakes are made, be honest with parents.

Parental Rights Easy access to critical documents Web-site and handbook requirements Parental notification of an emergency safety intervention event Talking Points When in doubt, notify the parent. Solid relationships are built on a foundation of trust, respect, and safe guarding of parent and student rights. Parents might suspect a “cover-up” if it looks like school people are trying to hide something.

INVITE TRUST Talking Points INVITE trust. Failure to notify parents results in distrust, appearance of cover-up, reasonable parental fear that important information is withheld. INVITE TRUST

A quick quiz What have you learned? Talking Points Participants may access Infinitec and complete the quiz. Award professional development points as per local policy.

If you see something that might be seclusion or restraint… If you see something that might be seclusion or restraint… Report the situation. Know your district policy. Talking Points All staff need to know about emergency safety interventions because, in the past, some common interactions might have been considered “business as usual.” Times have changed; some (previously common) school occurrences might now meet the definition of seclusion or restraint. There are legal and ethical considerations regarding on-going improvement of schooling practices. When we know better, we must do better! Neither the Kansas State Department of Education nor the Kansas State Board of Education encourage or recommend the use of emergency safety interventions; every effort must be made to prevent use of such interventions. However, if an ESI is used, strict reporting requirements must be followed.

Myron Melton, Education Program Consultant Kansas State Department of Education 900 SW Jackson St. Suite 102 785-296-4941 mmelton@ksde.org The Kansas State Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies:  KSDE General Counsel, Office of General Counsel, KSDE, Landon State Office Building, 900 S.W. Jackson, Suite 102, Topeka, KS 66612, (785) 296-3204