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. Reporting Requirements
ESI:
Reporting Requirements
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. 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.

7. Definition – Physical Restraint
Bodily force used to substantially limit a student’s movement
Talking Points:
Not to be used for convenience, consequence, or a punishment.
Hugs are not restraints.

8. 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:
The use of an ESI can be traumatic or even dangerous for students and staff.
We must carefully consider whether the use of an ESI is justified in a given situation.
Every other option must be exhausted unless the situation is so dangerous that the only option is an ESI.
Sometimes, an ESI is used, but during the debriefing staff members realize that the use of the ESI was premature. In other words, it really wasn’t an emergency. (Think about a preschooler who is throwing toys, but not endangering anyone else. A staff member restrains the child to prevent the child from throwing more toys. This was likely not an emergency, but an ESI was used.)
All reporting requirements must be followed when ANY ESI is used, whether it was an emergency or not.

9. Reporting to Parents First things first!
Ensure that your district and school provide information about ESIs as required by state statute.
Each district and school website must have easily located information for parents about ESIs.
This information must also be included in parent/student handbooks.
Facilitator: Stop the PowerPoint here for discussion.
The training should stop here so participants can go to their district and school websites to see if they can locate the following:
Board Policy regarding the use of ESIs
Parent information packet (sample can be found at This document must be personalized to each district.
The packet contains information about the Complaint and Appeal process for families.
Check handbooks for the information as well.
Talking Points:
Participants should discuss how accessible information is on the website(s).
Was it easily understandable?

10. Reporting to Parents Same day parent notification
If at least two methods are used to contact a parent (i.e., and phone) and the school is unable to reach the parent, the requirement is determined to have been met.
A written report must be provided to the parent no later than the next school day following the ESI.
Talking Points:
Staff members must be clear regarding the roles of reporting ESI information to families.
Will the staff member call the family? The principal? There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

11. Reporting to Parents Sample forms are located on the TASN website
safety-interventions-esi-resources
Sample letters for parents and a documentation form that has all the required fields.
Talking Points:
KSDE has carefully developed sample forms to be used after an ESI.
These forms meet all the legal requirements of the Kansas ESI statutes.

12. Reporting to KSDE
Schools/districts must report ESI data twice per year.
Collection dates are set by KSDE and districts are notified well in advance.
Schools and district must determine the person(s) responsible for collecting and submitting ESI data.
Talking Notes:
All ESIs must be reported to KSDE.
Know who is responsible in your building/district.

13. Reporting to KSDE Responsible Building v. Attendance Building
The responsible building is the building that the student would typically attend. (i.e., the student’s home school.)
The attendance building is the school the child attends. Frequently, specialized programs are in buildings other than the responsible building.
The use of an ESI is reported by the responsible building even if the student has never attended that building.
Talking Points:
ESI reporting is done by the Responsible Building.
Districts must ensure that they have procedures in place to supply ESI reporting data to Responsible Buildings.

14. Test your understanding
A fifth-grade boy with autism has been attending his responsible school for instruction since kindergarten.
During fifth grade, he begins to demonstrate aggressive behaviors. During the first semester, he attempted to choke another student in his general ed classroom on two occasions.
Staff intervened with a restraint to keep the other student safe. They also performed a functional behavioral assessment and developed a behavior intervention plan.
The aggression continued and the IEP was revised to place the student in a specialized Day School outside of the district.
The student was restrained 3 more times during the first semester.
Facilitator: Allow time for participants to read this slide and the next slide.

15. Test your understanding
The student’s home school reported the ESIs that occurred prior to the change in placement.
The Day School called KSDE to ask how they should report the ESIs that occurred in their setting.
What will KSDE advise the special day school?
Talking Points:
Most people will agree this appears to be an emergency that needs to be reported
All ESIs will be reported by the Responsible Building. The Day School must provide ESI data to the Responsible Building.

16. Test your understanding, Part 2
After some intensive interventions, the student’s aggression no longer required restraint.
The boy still became aggressive; however, staff would prompt him to enter a seclusion room during these periods so that he did not hurt anyone else.
Sometimes, the student would have long periods during which he became aggressive, calmed down, and became aggressive again.
On one day, he was secluded for 4 minutes, calmed down, and as soon as he was released from the seclusion room, he became aggressive again and was placed in the seclusion room for an additional 10 minutes before he calmed.
Facilitator: Stop the PowerPoint and allow participants to read the scenario.

17. Test your understanding, Part 2
How should the school report the seclusion?
One seclusion of 14 minutes?
Two seclusions (a 4-minute seclusion and a 10-minute seclusion)?
Talking Points:
Each seclusion has a beginning and end.
The seclusion begins by isolating the student and ends when the student is no longer isolated.
If the student escalates again to the point of being a danger, another seclusion may begin.
Each time period counts as one seclusion.
All will be reported by the Responsible Building.

18. Thoughts from Linda and Joan…
Follow all reporting procedures and ensure your staff understand how to report to you when an ESI has occurred.
Ensure your staff members have the proper amount of de-escalation training for their position.
Provide training/retraining for staff in a proactive manner to reduce ESIs.
Communicate well with families when an ESI is used.
Be transparent if a mistake happens.
Cooperate if the family requests an investigation.
Talking Points:
Procedures must be developed in advance so all staff knows who/how ESIs will be reported to families and to KSDE.
Continue to focus on prevention.

19. Parental Rights Easy access to critical documents
Parental notification of an emergency safety intervention event (written)
The right to request a meeting to discuss the use of an ESI and develop a plan to reduce the need for another ESI.
The right to file a complaint (and appeal) if an ESI is used inappropriately.
When in doubt, notify the parent. Make sure that parents have access to district policies and other information about the use of ESIs in your building. Solid relationships are built on a foundation of trust, respect, and safeguarding of parent and student rights.

20. INVITE TRUST
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.

21. 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.

22. 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 and reporting requirements about 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.

23. 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)