Critics ask the state to clarify what counts as an emergency
Michigan schools physically restrain or seclude students thousands of times a year, with many of the students involved being children with disabilities, according to reporting by Bridge Michigan. The practice continues nearly a decade after the state enacted a law aimed at reducing reliance on the techniques.
Current state policy specifies that schools should only consider physically restraining a student or confining them to a room away from others in emergency situations where a student is at risk of harming themselves or others. The students subject to these interventions are typically considered a potential danger to themselves or to others.
Critics say schools still seclude and restrain students too often. They also say the state should make more clear what actually constitutes an emergency under the existing law.
There is broad consensus that schools should do more to reduce their reliance on these techniques. But there is disagreement on whether new legislation is needed to make that happen.