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Centennial SD review finds disproportionate restraint incidents among Black students; district outlines prevention, training and reporting steps
Summary
Denise Wright presented the 2023—24 behavior safety assessment and restraint/seclusion report: about 150 staff trained, 20 in-district elementary restraints, 35 at Multnomah ESD placements, eight minor injuries, and a disproportionate share (about 55%) of incidents involving students identifying as Black.
Denise Wright, director of student services, delivered Centennial School District's annual behavior safety assessment and restraint/seclusion report on Nov. 13, saying the district continues to emphasize prevention and team-based decision-making.
Wright summarized multi-year data and said "we did not have any incidences of extended physical restraint or seclusion" that met the Oregon administrative rule threshold (30 minutes or longer), but that three schools submitted paperwork the district concluded did not meet ODE's technical definition of seclusion. She reported approximately 150 staff trained districtwide in restraint procedures and that there were 20 physical restraints reported at the elementary level in district schools; nine students had one or more incidents and one student had eight incidents.
The presentation included demographic breakdowns Wright described as concerning: "30% of the incidents that occurred were with students who identify as white, 55 were students who identified as Black, and 15 occurred with students who are multiracial," and she noted those figures are disproportionate given the district's usual Black student population of roughly 8 percent. Wright also said about 80 percent of restraints involved male students and around 90 percent involved students with disabilities.
Board members asked for clarification on injuries and placements. Wright said the eight injuries reported were minor (scratches or bruises) and that the majority of restraints occurring at Multnomah Education Service District (MESD) placements were at Wheatley, a highly restrictive placement where students have complex cognitive and communication needs. She said MESD is required to report back to the district when significant injuries occur and that new state legislation has added child-abuse reporting implications in some restraint/seclusion cases.
Wright described several steps to reduce restraints and improve response: increased trauma-informed content in Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) training, approximately five local trainers supported by an ODE grant to expand district training capacity, more team-based interventions (behavior safety assessment teams), and targeted building-level follow-up when patterns appear.
The board requested further breakdowns (injury types, placements, and whether student injuries were included in counts) and Wright said she would follow up with clarified numbers and placement-level detail.
