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Sparta district reports four seclusion or restraint incidents; board hears training and prevention steps
Summary
At the Sept. 22 Sparta Area School District board meeting, staff reported four instances of seclusion or restraint last year — involving three students at Southside Early Learning Center — and outlined training, debriefing and prevention measures the district has adopted.
At the Sparta Area School District board meeting on 2025-09-22, Miss Molland, a district staff member, presented the district's annual report on seclusion and restraint, saying the district recorded four total instances last year affecting three students and that none of those students were identified as having disabilities. The only location reported was Southside Early Learning Center.
The report explained definitions used by the district. "Seclusion means the involuntary confinement of a student apart from other students in a room or area from which the student is physically prevented from leaving," Molland said. "Restraint ... immobilizes or reduces ability of a student to freely move his or her torso, arms, legs, or head." She said such practices are used only in rare cases where a student's behavior presents an imminent risk of harm to the student or others.
The report outlined prevention and training steps the district has taken. Molland said the district provided a one-hour CPI de-escalation basics training for all staff who work directly with students this year and continues to offer more extensive hands-on training for staff who are more likely to work with students prone to escalation. The district also uses functional behavior assessments, positive behavior intervention plans, Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS), universal and individualized social-emotional instruction, and a neurosequential model in education that trained more than 100 staff through a state grant. She said teams debrief after every incident.
Board members pressed for clarification about who may use seclusion or restraint and when. "If there is imminent harm, anybody really does" have authority to act, Molland said, adding that staff who work with higher-risk students are more fully trained on hands-on techniques and safe restraint methods. She said the district reviews individual education programs (IEPs) after repeated incidents for students with disabilities.
Board member Miss Lopez asked which staff have authority to restrain or seclude a student; Molland answered that, in imminent-harm situations, responsible adults must act and that the district identifies staff in each building to receive more extensive training. Another board member raised the idea of more frequent or earlier behavioral reviews for young students to reduce escalation risk, and Molland said the district holds ongoing problem-solving meetings for students who struggle the most.
Molland credited state policy and tighter legal language introduced in 2011 and 2019 with contributing to the long-term decline in incidents. "We were required by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to report on seclusion and restraint statistics," she said, citing the reporting requirement and recent legislation as part of the context for lower rates.
Board discussion included concerns about staff safety, lost instructional time for classmates when a classroom is disrupted, and whether more staff should receive the more extensive hands-on training. Molland emphasized the district’s emphasis on prevention and that seclusion and restraint remain lawful only when there is imminent risk of harm.
The board did not take formal policy action during the discussion. The presentation closed with members thanking Molland and asking for continued emphasis on prevention, training, and post-incident review.
