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MPS reports decline in student seclusion incidents; restraint counts reported as unchanged, administration says
Summary
At a Milwaukee Public Schools committee meeting, Superintendent Brenda Cassellius reported a year-to-year decrease in reported student seclusion incidents and said physical restraint incident counts were unchanged; the item was presented for information only and no board action was taken.
Superintendent Brenda Cassellius reported that Milwaukee Public Schools saw a year-to-year drop in recorded seclusion incidents and described district steps to track and limit both seclusion and physical restraint.
The report, presented at a committee meeting of the Milwaukee Board of School Directors, covered data for the 2023–24 and 2024–25 school years, the district's compliance steps under Wisconsin state law, staff training, and improvements to incident tracking using the Infinite Campus student information system.
Cassellius, identified herself as superintendent and said the district must follow Wisconsin state law that restricts use of seclusion and physical restraint and requires documentation, staff training and parent notification. She told the committee that seclusion incidents declined from 47 incidents involving 34 students in 2023–24 to 30 incidents involving 28 students in 2024–25; the number of students with disabilities involved also declined, from 22 to 18, as reported. She said the district's Infinite Campus system has been improved to better track incidents. "These practices are only allowed under very specific conditions that must be followed by thorough documentation, staff training, and parent notification," Cassellius told the committee.
The presentation said physical restraint incident counts were reported as unchanged in the two years referenced; the administration also said fewer students were involved this year but did not provide a board-level action to change policy. The superintendent was joined by a district staff member, Mr. Boswell, to respond to questions; there were no public speakers on the item and committee members did not move to take action. The secretary introduced the item as "report with possible action," but the administration framed it as informational and no motion was made.
The district said additional detail by school is attached to the item and that follow-up information can be requested from the Office of Board Governance.
Because the item was presented for information, no formal board action or vote was recorded at the meeting.
