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Hohman schools report drop in restraints at Prairie View as district rolls out Ukeru and SEL supports
Summary
Executive director of student services Jill Mason presented the district's 2024-25 report on seclusion, restraint and bullying, citing a sharp drop in restraints at Prairie View after piloting Ukeru mats and expanded SEL curriculum; district will conduct DPI-required root-cause analyses where seclusion or restraint rose.
Jill Mason, executive director of student services for the School District of Hohman, told the school board on Tuesday night that Prairie View recorded a sharp drop in physical restraints after the district piloted the Ukeru mat-based approach and expanded trauma-informed training. "Prairie View's decrease is notable: last year they had 31 restraints; this year they have 5," Mason said.
Why it matters: the district reviews seclusion, restraint and bullying annually before Oct. 1 and must report results to the Department of Public Instruction. Changes in restraint and seclusion practices can affect student safety, special-education decisions and potential out-of-district placements.
Mason said the district is emphasizing Ukeru techniques and social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum in elementary schools and that the district has trained a small group in CPI physical intervention as a last-resort option. "We have about five people in each building trained" in CPI for situations that absolutely require physical holds, Mason said, while most staff are being trained in Ukeru de-escalation methods. She added that the district has purchased Everyday Speech as an SEL resource and is strengthening building-level behavior teams.
Board members asked whether reduced restraints have kept students in district placements. Mason said the pilot at Prairie View showed decreases and that, in at least one confidential case, a student who had been planned for removal remained in the district after the new approach was used. Mason cautioned that she could not discuss individual students because of confidentiality.
The report showed mixed results across schools: several elementary schools and the middle school recorded increases in seclusion incidents, triggering DPI-required root-cause analysis and action planning. Mason said building administrators are meeting with teams and, when two or more incidents involve a student with disabilities, the district convenes an IEP or team meeting.
The district is also piloting techniques learned from Cooley Connections, focusing on early decoding of dysregulation and sensory break rooms. Mason described recent efforts to create on-site break rooms and sensory areas at some schools so students can regulate without needing seclusion or restraint.
Board members pressed for detail about counting incidents ("those numbers are annual counts, not per-day tallies," Mason said) and training coverage: Mason said roughly 35 staff in the district have had Ukeru-related training this fall, with plans to expand to middle and high schools later.
No formal action was taken on the report; Mason said the 2024-25 seclusion, restraint and bullying report will appear on the board's consent agenda for the Sept. 22 meeting for formal acceptance.
