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The Illinois State Board of Education has closed its investigation into the use of physical restraint and time-out practices in Chicago Public Schools, citing “significant progress” the district has made in ensuring that staff are trained in the use of restraints in schools.

The state board opened an investigation into Chicago Public Schools in fall 2022, citing staff using restraints when there was no danger to a student or staff, information according to which untrained staff used restraints on students, without having a designated manager to be informed. incidents and retain records, and parents are not alerted when their child is involved in a restraint or timeout incident. The state said Chicago put students at risk by not training staff on the proper use of restraint and time-out.

The state told the district it must train at least two staff members in each school building in the appropriate use of physical restraint and time out, designate a district official to keep records regarding incidents where the restraint or time out is used, and create and maintain a list on the CPS website of staff members who have been trained.

The state board informed CPS officials that it had closed its investigation into a systemic complaint regarding the district’s restraint and timeout practices in a letter dated September 18.

The state defines physical restraint as restraining a student or other methods to restrict a student’s movement. Prone restraint – when a student is placed face down on the ground and pressure is applied to their body to prevent them from moving – has been banned in the state with a bill signed by Governor JB Pritzker in 2021.

Students can be restrained if there is “imminent danger” to themselves or others around them, but staff must be trained in how to properly use restraints.

A spokesperson for the Illinois State Board of Education told Chalkbeat that the state board decided to close the investigation for several reasons: Chicago Public Schools has trained all staff on time-outs and isolated timeouts, hired and trained an administrator specifically tasked with reviewing all physical restraints and overtime incidents districtwide and now has a public list of staff who have completed training on his website which can be searched by school and staff member name.

Four individual complaints are still pending, the state board noted in the letter, saying it will continue to monitor the district “to ensure CPS’s continued compliance and improved practices” related to restraint and delays waiting.

A Chicago Public Schools spokesperson told Chalkbeat Chicago that it continues to refine the district’s actions related to detention and time out. In a statement, the district said it is “focused entirely on identifying proactive behavioral interventions to reduce the use of RTOs, particularly for students of color.”

The district’s Office of Special Education has established a physical containment team to document incidents, school staff have been fully trained in de-escalation and physical management techniques, and the district is working closely with schools if additional training is needed. , according to the district spokesperson.

Chicago Public Schools reports that, as of this month, 5,140 school staff members are fully trained in de-escalation and physical management techniques.

Between 2022 and 2023, the state board sent several noncompliance letters to Chicago school officials that identified how the district’s current detention and timeout policies were not aligned on current state guidelines. The state council found that untrained staff were using restraints.

In a few casesstaff held students for more than 15 minutes and placed them in isolated timeouts for more than 30 minutes. Below State Lawstaff should assess whether students should be removed from timeout or restrained every 15 to 30 minutes.

In other cases, restraints prohibited by state law, such as prone restraint, were used on students. School officials failed to notify parents that their child had been held back or placed on recess within the state’s deadline. According to the state councilparents must be informed as soon as possible but no later than two days after the incident.

Changes in state law have occurred in response to a 2019 Chicago Tribune and ProPublica investigation which revealed how restraint, timeout and seclusion were being used across the state. Students with disabilities were most likely to be held back or placed on pause.

As the state board’s investigation intensified in 2023, leadership changes took place in Chicago Public Schools and the district had to act quickly to comply with state law or be placed under probation by the state.

Stephanie Jones, the former director of Chicago Public Schools’ office of special education, left the district in June 2023 amid criticism for his role in the district’s failure to correct violations related to restraint and time out.

As the designated policy and incident manager for restraint and timeout. Jones was responsible for maintaining copies of records, receiving notifications of incidents each school day, and receiving documentation and evaluation of any restraint incidents that lasted more than 15 minutes and wait times longer of 30 minutes.

However, Jones told the state board that she had transferred those responsibilities to another member of her staff who left the school earlier in the year and that no one had continued to monitor incidents in schools .

Jones was then replaced by Joshua Long, former principal, to head district’s special education office in December 2023.

Chicago Public Schools was required to train at least two staff members across the district’s 600 schools by August 2023 or risk being placed on probation by the state. Chicago worked with contractor QBS LLC to train staff in the use of restraint and time-out.

In August last year, district officials said CPS met the state’s deadline to train at least two staff members in more than 500 school buildings, with the majority of staff fully trained or in the process of de-escalation and physical restraint.

Samantha Smylie is the state education reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago covering the state’s school districts, legislation, special education and the state board of education. Contact Samantha at [email protected].