Wake County Board hears seclusion and restraint data; staff outline training, room‑inspection and intervention steps

Summary

District staff reported 2024–25 seclusion and restraint reporting, said 544 students experienced an incident last year (fewer than 1% of district enrollment), described differences between federal and state reporting definitions, and outlined targeted training, room inspections and partnerships to reduce incidents and support affected students.

Wake County Public Schools staff presented district seclusion and restraint data and described actions the district is taking to reduce incidents, improve oversight and expand training for staff.

Dr. Paul Walker, with student support services and special education staff including Lisa Allred, led the presentation and emphasized reporting distinctions between federal and state definitions and the district’s daily review process. “When it comes to restraint, [the federal category] is broad,” Dr. Walker said, adding the district reports incidents to Infinite Campus and then to NCDPI for federal reporting.

Staff said the 2024–25 reporting period covered roughly 160,000 students and that 544 students experienced at least one incident of seclusion or restraint during the year (fewer than 1% of enrollment). The district reported 447 incidents of seclusion (the presenter noted that the 301 number sometimes displayed is embedded in the 447) and highlighted that state reporting to NCDPI treats seclusions that exceed 10 minutes as reportable under the state system even when federal rules and state statute differ in legal meaning.

Staff stressed that seclusion and restraint are not to…

Wake County Board hears seclusion and restraint data; staff outline training, room‑inspection and intervention steps

Summary

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