Cedar Rapids district: seclusion banned, restraint limited under Department of Justice agreement; new SEBH staff and training added

Ryals Parker, chief of schools and behavior supports for the Cedar Rapids Community School District, outlined district actions tied to a Department of Justice agreement that he said was signed on 09/12/2022 and has a target end date of 06/30/2026 if the district meets the agreement's requirements.

Parker said the agreement has led the district to ban seclusion and restrict physical restraint to cases where “there's an imminent risk of serious bodily injury.” He described a multi-tiered staffing and training approach intended to prevent crises and improve responses when they occur.

The changes stem from five principal areas in the agreement, Parker said: three focused on crisis prevention (school safety teams, mandated de-escalation training, and increased functional behavior assessment supports) and two on crisis intervention (seclusion prohibition and tightened restraint use). “Seclusion is no longer allowed in the Cedar Rapids Community School District, and physical restraint is only used when there's an imminent risk of serious bodily injury,” Parker said.

Parker described operational steps the district has taken: each building now…