Board hears staff license-discipline briefing; members press for restraint-training solutions

Summary

Staff presented forthcoming license-discipline recommendations and the board discussed repeated incidents involving improper restraints. Members asked about wider training, district refresher practices and calibration of discipline conditions; staff said some licensees have opted to surrender licenses rather than complete remediation.

Todd Madison, senior associate counsel for the board, joined by Alex Anderson and Brian Shanahan, presented staff recommendations for license-discipline items to be considered at the next meeting. The presentation noted specific cases will be before the board for formal action tomorrow; this workshop segment focused on questions and training implications.

Board members raised recurring concerns about improper restraints and asked whether districts could expand restraint training, create hallway response teams and offer regular refreshers to reduce incidents. One board member asked why more staff are placed on disciplinary lists and whether improved training or better district processes could reduce recurrences. Counsel noted the board previously debated the appropriate balance of remediation and license-surrender options and that in at least one recent case a licensee chose to surrender rather than undergo the training or conditions proposed by staff.

No disciplinary vote was taken at this workshop; staff will present formal recommendations and any stipulated agreements at the board meeting scheduled for the next day.