Corporal punishment, restraint and seclusion as discipline will be banned in Idaho schools

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — Idaho schools will no longer be permitted to use restraint and seclusion as forms of discipline. Gov. Brad Little has signed a bill that bars teachers and school staff from using the aversive techniques as forms of discipline and corporal punishment.

Restraint, a practice that reduces students’ ability to move, and seclusion, which involuntarily places children in isolation, can now only be used if a student or staff member is in imminent danger. The bill followed an Idaho Statesman investigation into schools’ practices around restraint and seclusion last year. Families told the Statesman their children returned home from school with physical injuries and long-lasting trauma. More than a decade ago, efforts to change the state law went nowhere.

“Idaho schools are places of learning, not punishment,” Madison Hardy, Little’s spokesperson, wrote to the Statesman. “Having clear policies and procedures around restraint and seclusion for our school districts will make sure all Idaho kids are getting the right attention they need and ensure our school districts know the correct steps to take in these difficult situations.”

Parents and advocates across Idaho pleaded with lawmakers to pass legislation governing the use of restraint and seclusion in schools. One parent told lawmakers she picked up her son from school and found bruises across his body. Another choked up as she shared that her child slept on the floor next to her bed for a year after being put in the seclusion room in his classroom.

A former second grade teacher, Charmaine Thaner, said she once restrained a child and vividly remembers the terror in their eyes as she held them. Years later, she learned she could have taken other actions.

“I lived it, I know this, I know what it feels like,” she said, “and I regret every single minute to this day.”

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The bill was held up earlier this month over concerns that it applied to private schools. The language was removed and the bill amended to only include public and charter schools.

In a statement after the bill’s passage, Superintendent Debbie Critchfield said it will benefit students and teachers across Idaho. The new law takes effect July 1.