1. 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 | |

2. Is it Seclusion? The Spirit of the Law
ESI:
Is it Seclusion?
The Spirit of the Law
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 | |

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

4. Attention, please. This is important. Talking Points:
Facilitator should set the tone. Remind participants that they all have at least a basic understanding of ESI statutes and that this presentation was developed to deepen their understanding.
It is critical to know relevant law and district policy.
It is critical to plan for prompt, coordinated, supportive action necessary to maintain or restore a safe school environment.
Knowledge level will be assessed with a quiz.
This is important.

5. Emergency Safety Interventions
Seclusion
Restraint
Talking Points:
Facilitator - Pause for one or two minutes of small group discussion. Give the following directions: Please take one minute to discuss what the terms “seclusion” and “restraint” mean.
Facilitator: When the discussion is completed, please remind the staff of the following:
Prevention is the key! We want to prevent use of seclusion/restraint
Safety – students and staff
Avoid disruption of critical relationship between student and staff
Implement preventive, effective teaching interactions

6. Our Focus Today is on Seclusion
Talking Points:
Let’s make sure that we all have the same understanding and definitions in place. Seclusion is a PROCESS not a place.

7. 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:
Not to be used for convenience, consequence, or a punishment.
Must be evaluated from the perspective of the student. If the adult TOLD or INSTRUCTED the child to go to seclusion, then the child was ”placed.”
Seclusion can occur in various locations; classrooms, offices, seclusion rooms, etc. The process used to isolate the child is what determines if it is a seclusion.
Even if the door is left open, or there is no door, if the child reasonably believes he/she must stay, consider it seclusion.
If an adult remains in the room with the student only to prevent the student from leaving, consider it seclusion.

8. When is seclusion 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 may necessitate a seclusion (and/or a restraint)
Talking points:
What is an emergency? That’s the question we often get- “How do I know if this is an emergency?”
Facilitator: Stop the powerpoint and give the participants 1-2 minutes to discuss what makes a situation an emergency?
Say: Take a minute to talk with a partner about this slide and if there is enough information to determine if a certain situation is an emergency.
Property destruction may rise to the level of an emergency and must be evaluated on a case by case basis. However, the risk of injury to students or staff must be carefully considered before using an ESI due to property damage. Certainly if a student breaks glass in a classroom and is at risk of being injured because of the broken glass, an ESI may be the best option. That is different from a student tearing up books/dumping out containers/sweeping items off shelves.

9. Perspective
For seclusion to occur, the student must be prevented from leaving the space, or reasonably believe that he/she may not leave the space.
Whether or not a seclusion occurred must be evaluated from the perspective of the student.
Talking points:
Think back to one of your principals. If he/she had told you to sit by yourself in a conference room until further notice, would you have believed you could leave?
In fact, most students probably think they can’t just leave their class or building under the best of circumstances.
There is a difference, though, from willingly being in a specific area and being directed to go there because of a behavior.

10. Perspective
The statute states the “student must be purposefully isolated from adults and peers” for seclusion to occur. Does that mean if an adult is in the room for any reason, seclusion does not occur? Short answer: NO
Talking Points:
A seclusion can occur even with an adult in the room with the child.
Ask, “What was the purpose of the adult? To block the student from opening the door? To hold the door open but prevent the student from leaving? Or to participate in de-escalation activities as outlined as a service in the IEP?”
In some cases, parents have claimed that their children were secluded, but the school did not report the incident as a seclusion merely because an adult was in the room.
In the view of the parents, and in the spirit of the law, the mere presence of an adult does not guarantee that seclusion did not occur. If the purpose of the adult was to prevent the student from leaving or make the child believe that they could not leave, seclusion has occurred.
Alternately, if an IEP states that a child may leave the room with an adult to engage in de-escalation strategies as part of teaching replacement behaviors, etc., it may not be a seclusion.
When you are on the fence, err on the side of caution and report as an ESI.

11. Test your understanding
A 7th grade girl , Chloe, has an emotional disability.
This is the first day that she is using a new behavior management plan that includes the use of a signal to her teacher when Chloe feels that she needs a short break.
Chloe becomes escalated during math class. She blurts out, telling the teacher, “You are a terrible teacher! I don’t understand anything about this stupid math lesson!”
A para in the room confronts Chloe with a firm voice. “Chloe! Think about your behavior plan! What are you supposed to do if you get angry? You must go to your safe space until you can calm yourself!”
The para stands near Chloe and positions herself in a manner that encourages Chloe to moves toward the door and continues to remind Chloe to go to her safe space.
Chloe complies. Is this seclusion?
Facilitator: Stop the PowerPoint and give the following directions:
Read this scenario and discuss with your group. Is this a seclusion? Yes.
Then tell the participants....Compare this scenario to the next one.

12. Test your understanding, Part 2
In the past, Chloe did not have a way to let the teacher know if she was becoming frustrated and needed a break. She would become more and more frustrated until she started to disrupt the class.
For the last 3 months, the staff have been working hard with Chloe to implement her new behavior plan. She has been taught skills to use when she feels frustrated and needs a break to calm herself.
The plan includes the use of a small card that Chloe keeps in her book bag and lays on her desk if she needs a break. When the teacher notices the card, she sends Chloe on an “errand.” Chloe uses the errand to go to a designated area until she can calm herself. Is this a seclusion?
Facilitator: Stop the Powerpoint and direct the participants to read and discuss. Ask them to compare the two situations and how they differ.
Talking Points:
In this case, Chloe manages the logistics of going to her safe space.
She chooses when she goes and is free to leave when calm.
Staff did not direct her to go to her safe space.
It is not a seclusion.

13. Thoughts from Linda and Joan…
The spirit of the law is that a child should be considered as being secluded when placed in a setting that he/she cannot egress or believes that he/she may not leave.
If an adult is in the room to prevent the child from leaving, the student has been “isolated.” Report the incident as a seclusion.
When an adult works in a designated space to de-escalate the child in accordance with services outlined in the IEP, it would likely not be considered seclusion unless the child attempts to leave at some point and is prevented from leaving or is told that he/she may not leave.
Talking Points:
Advocacy from parents brought about the passage and implementation of ESI laws.
Children have been traumatized, injured, and have even died from inappropriate use of ESIs. We must take their use very seriously.
Parents complain that schools try to find loopholes in the ESI statutes and keep an adult in the room solely as a way not to report an incident as an ESI when a review of the situation clearly shows that the student was isolated in the sense that they were isolated from meaningful interaction from peers and adults.

14. Parental Rights Easy access to critical documents
Web-site and handbook requirements
Parental notification of an emergency safety intervention event
Talking Points:
Ensure that school and district websites have easily accessible information for parents regarding the use of ESIs.
Follow reporting requirements.

15. INVITE TRUST Talking Points:
Keep parents informed of all significant school events involving their children.
When in doubt, NOTIFY.
Failure to do so invites distrust, appearance of cover-up, missed opportunity to establish strong relationships.
Solid relationships are built on a foundation of trust, respect, and safeguarding of parent and student rights.

16. A quick quiz What have you learned?
To be written and included on the Infinitec site for PD points. Will also be available as a download to be used on-site.

17. 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:
New staff may not immediately understand the restrictions around the use of ESIs.
Make sure that appropriate training is given to all staff and that the training is appropriate for the population they serve.
Debrief with staff after ESI incidents.
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.

18. Myron Melton, Education Program Consultant
Kansas State Department of Education
900 SW Jackson St.
Suite 102
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)