skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, March 29, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

JD, Usha Vance visit Greenland as Trump administration eyes territory; Maine nurses, medical workers call for improved staffing ratios; Court orders WA to rewrite CAFO dairy operation permit regulations; MS aims to expand Fresh Start Act to cut recidivism.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Dept. of Health and Human Services prepares to cut 10,000 more jobs. Election officials are unsure if a Trump executive order will be enacted, and Republicans in Congress say they aim to cut NPR and PBS funding.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural folks face significant clean air and water risks due to EPA cutbacks, a group of policymakers is working to expand rural health care via mobile clinics, and a new study maps Montana's news landscape.

“Hit or Miss” Reporting on Handling "Unruly" Ohio Students?

play audio
Play

Tuesday, February 9, 2016   

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A new report says better enforcement is needed on the use of seclusion and restraint in schools.

The recommendations in the research from Disability Rights Ohio highlight data in a 2015 report which found wide gaps in enforcement of a rule restricting the use of the practices.

Kristin Hildebrant, senior attorney with the organization, says the Ohio Department of Education should review data on restraint and seclusion already provided by districts.

"It's hit or miss what type of data is provided to the Department of Education," she says. "And there's no comprehensive ongoing method of oversight from the Department of Education to school districts."

She adds the department also needs effective investigation for violations of the rule. When secluded, a child is a room they cannot leave, sometimes with a locked door. Restraint can include straps that limit movement of a child's head, body or limbs.

Both practices are used as a last resort in managing behaviors that cause a danger to the child or others.

According to the findings, there were thousands of incidents of restraint and seclusion reported in the 2014-2015 school year, which disproportionately involved children with disabilities and children of color. And Hildebrant says the practices are especially harmful for kids with a history of trauma, who typically need extra supports in the classroom.

"When a child is restrained or secluded during some portion of the day they are traumatized to the point where that whole day is pretty much lost," Hildebrant says. "It's very difficult for them to recover from that and get back to the business of learning so these kids are missing out on a lot of services."

Hildebrant says the Department of Education is working on training districts on positive behavior interventions, but says there are often not enough resources and supports needed for it to be effective on a school-wide basis.

"It really requires the establishment of a positive school culture," she says. "And it really needs to be something that everyone in the school district embraces and it can be a difficult thing to do if a district lacks the resources and the will to do it."

A spokeswoman said the department is committed to helping districts understand reporting requirements and is open to future conversations about improving the rule.






get more stories like this via email

more stories
Mississippi's three-year recidivism rate reached 40% in 2023, according to state task force data - among the highest in the United States. (Pixabay)

Social Issues

play sound

For thousands of Mississippians leaving prison each year, a single question looms large: Who will hire me? State lawmakers could remove some of the …


Health and Wellness

play sound

Rural communities in Missouri are bracing for a tough reality as they plan ahead for the possibility of federal cuts to programs such as Medicaid…

Environment

play sound

Groups in Pennsylvania are asking Congress to preserve federal clean-energy tax incentives. Concerned about the possible repeal of 30% energy tax …


Biosolids, also known as sewage sludge, were applied to farms in Johnson County as fertilizer to boost crop fertility. (zimmytws/Adobe Stock)

play sound

By Sara Hashemi for Sentient.Broadcast version by Freda Ross for Texas News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collaboration John…

Environment

play sound

West Virginians are more concerned about bird flu's effect on grocery costs rather than health implications, and Republican voters are more likely to …

According to 2024 DEA laboratory testing, five of 10 pills tested contain a potentially deadly dose of fentanyl. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

The federal HALT Fentanyl Act advancing through Congress would increase prison time for fentanyl traffickers. Kentuckians convicted on distribution …

Social Issues

play sound

Labor groups representing thousands of Minnesota state workers find themselves at serious odds with Gov. Tim Walz over his move this week to reduce …

Social Issues

play sound

Minnesota lawmakers this session are emphasizing new protocols to shield state agencies from fraud. A watchdog group says so far, it appears they're …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021