District reports 109 seclusion or restraint incidents in 2024–25; staff say numbers are falling but concentrated among a few students

District staff presented the annual seclusion and restraint report for school year 2024–25 and said the district recorded 109 incidents of seclusion or restraint, down from higher counts in past years. Katie Eigman, presenting the data, said seclusion and restraint are used only as last-resort safety measures and noted the district has trained staff in nonviolent crisis intervention and de-escalation strategies. "It is very much a last resort technique, when students are engaging in incredibly dangerous behavior," Eigman said. Nut graf: While the district reported a drop in incidents, staff emphasized that repeated incidents often involve the same small group of students and that specialized programming sites show higher incident counts because they serve students with more severe, outwardly manifesting behavioral needs.Body: Eigman told the committee that most incidents are repeat occurrences involving a small number of students and that buildings with the highest incidence rates are those that provide specialized programming for students with significant behavioral needs. She said the district’s work on restorative practices, relationship building and de-escalation has contributed to the downward trend. A committee member asked whether private or parochial systems (named in discussion) have to report such incidents; staff said they did not believe those systems are required to report the same way. Staff also noted that the district’s specialized program staff had measurable reductions in outward behaviors by the end of the year. Ending: Committee members thanked staff for the report and expressed hope the downward trajectory will continue; staff reiterated training and restorative strategies as the path forward.