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District reports one bullying incident; trustees get seclusion and restraint numbers
Summary
Director of people services told trustees there was one bullying incident last year that met policy and described seclusion and restraint totals: eight seclusions (three students) and 11 restraints (six students with disabilities), mainly at the elementary school.
Leah Volker, the district’s director of people services, presented the annual bullying and seclusion/restraint reports at the Aug. 20 meeting.
On bullying, Volker said the district recorded one incident last year that met the formal definition in board policy; the incident was verbal, occurred at the elementary school and resulted in an in-school suspension while counselors provided classroom interventions.
On seclusion and restraint, Volker reported: "We are reporting eight incidents of seclusion and that is three children" and 11 restraints, six of which involved students with disabilities. She told trustees the majority of both seclusion and restraint incidents occurred at the elementary school and that staff follow Department of Public Instruction (DPI) guidelines, notify parents and convene IEP teams when required.
Why it matters: the district is required to report and review seclusion and restraint use. Volker emphasized these interventions are lawful when a child poses an imminent danger to themselves or others and that staff are trained in de-escalation and crisis-intervention techniques.
Board response and next steps: trustees asked clarifying questions; no policy changes were adopted at the meeting. Volker said the district would continue training and follow DPI protocols and reporting requirements.
