Rice Lake staff report decline in seclusion and restraint incidents; police interventions noted

Unidentified district staff presented the district’s annual seclusion and restraint report, saying the district recorded 11 seclusions and 4 restraints at Tainter Elementary and one seclusion and one restraint at the middle school during the school year. The presenter characterized the overall numbers as “significantly” lower than the prior year and said staff attribute reductions to training, student maturation and efforts to use the least‑restrictive interventions.

The presenter described who receives formal training: special‑education staff and building principals are trained in seclusion and restraint procedures, and a “handful of other people” receive the physical‑intervention training. The staff emphasized that most personnel receive training in de‑escalation techniques that aim to avoid seclusion and restraint and that the district’s practice is to use those options as a last resort because of potential trauma to students.

Board members asked whether the report distinguishes police interventions; the presenter confirmed that police actions that restrain a student (for example, handcuffs) are counted in the district’s reporting numbers but are documented differently to the state because officers follow separate procedures.

No policy changes were proposed; board members asked for clarification on staff‑training coverage and encouraged continued emphasis on de‑escalation.