A renewed push to ban seclusion, reduce restraint in Michigan schools

Lawmakers and advocates in Michigan are leading a renewed legislative push to entirely ban student seclusion and significantly reduce the use of physical restraint within the state's schools. The practice currently affects students thousands of times each year, particularly those classified as potential dangers to themselves or others.

Data indicates that a disproportionate number of the children subjected to these restraint and seclusion measures are students with disabilities. This legislative effort emerges nearly a decade after the enactment of a previous law specifically intended to curb such disciplinary and safety interventions in educational settings.