House panel lays over bill to ban seclusion after lengthy testimony from parents, educators and advocates

Representative Meg English introduced a bill to prohibit the routine use of seclusion in Colorado public schools and to require clearer reporting and oversight; after extensive oral testimony, the House Education Committee laid the measure over for action only, leaving the amendment phase open for further work.

What the bill seeks to do: English told the committee the bill would ban seclusion practices that leave a student alone in a room or area from which egress is involuntarily prevented. She said the statute referenced a separate definition (C.R.S. § 26‑21‑02) and that committee work must clarify the difference between trauma‑informed de‑escalation spaces and locked seclusion.

Why it matters: Supporters, including disability advocates and parents, described long‑term harm from seclusion. Several witnesses said seclusion can cause PTSD‑like symptoms and cited cases in which children later required hospitalization or repeatedly experienced nightmares after being…