Panel approves bill to codify seclusion and restraint rules, add reporting and immediate parent notification

Sen. Luz Escamilla, sponsor of Senate Bill 170, told the House Education Committee the bill responds to parental concerns and media reports about use of seclusion rooms and physical restraints in K‑12 schools across the state.

"We use a definition of seclusion that was passed in 2021," Sen. Escamilla said, referencing definitions incorporated from prior legislation and explaining the bill "creates a process to get us to potentially physical restraint or seclusion in situations where there's an emergency" and places seclusion and restraint as last‑resort emergency safety interventions.

Escamilla said the measure pulls definitions and policy language into state statute, requires training for staff who may use emergency interventions, and requires that parents be notified when an emergency intervention occurs. During committee debate members asked for stricter notification timing and limits. Committee members and the sponsor agreed to amendments requiring immediate attempts to notify parents (rather than notification only after 24 hours) and clarifying training and reporting requirements.

The deputy superintendent for the Utah State Board of Education, Leah Voorhees, told the committee existing board rule already requires immediate parent notification and a 30‑minute limit in many cases; she described board practice as requiring notification and said board rules limit use of seclusion and restraint to emergency safety interventions and forbid seclusion or restraint as general discipline.

Advocates for prohibition argued seclusion and restraint are overused against students with disabilities. Nate Krippas of the Disability Law Center said the center believes the practice should be prohibited, while other witnesses — including former educators and school officials — said trained interventions can be a necessary last resort for safety and to de‑escalate certain students. Witnesses suggested recording interventions and improving staff training and alternative strategies so incidents rarely escalate to seclusion or restraint.

The committee adopted Amendment 1 and House Amendment 2, the latter requiring immediate attempts to notify parents and clarifying reporting and limits provisions. By voice and recorded consensus the committee favorably recommended the bill as amended.

What’s next: SB 170 was reported favorably out of committee as amended and will proceed to the House floor for further consideration. The bill directs the State Board and local education agencies to follow the statutory framework and to collect and report intervention data to the state.