Dear Superintendents,
Attached you will find a letter from U.S. Secretary of Education Duncan that he sent to all chief state school officers regarding the use of seclusion and physical restraints. An essential component of the Secretary’s correspondence focused on systems of prevention to minimize the need to use seclusion and physical restraints. More specifically, Secretary Duncan referenced the use of Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) as a means to accomplish the desired outcome of the prevention of aggressive behavior.
In case you were not aware, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has an initiative in place to implement PBIS, known as the Kentucky Center for Instructional Discipline (KYCID). KYCID has provided PBIS training to 303 schools. There are currently 25 district-level initiatives to implement PBIS. Additional information regarding PBIS can be found at the KYCID Web site at: www.KYCID.org.
In addition, you can find guidance regarding the use of time-out rooms posted on the Behavior Homepage Web site at the University of Kentucky. The guidance includes a letter from KDE that was issued in 2000. This letter from the Division of Exceptional Children Services was reviewed in 2006 and was again found to be consistent with KDE’s position on time-out rooms. The link to the Behavior Homepage is: www.state.ky.us/agencies/behave/homepage.html. A copy of the guidance is attached.
KDE has identified a stakeholder group to review existing information and to make recommendations on additional guidance. This information will be issued as soon as possible. However, until this work is completed, I urge you to read the attachments to this letter and review the information found on the Behavior Home Page.
We look forward to working with you to provide additional guidance on this vital issue.