Support Students - Curb the Overuse of Restraint and Isolation (Washington)
Washington has already shown a real commitment to progress in addressing the overuse and inappropriate use of physical restraints and isolation/seclusion. In 2023, Washington lawmakers considered HB 1479 to ban isolation and limit restraints in public schools. Although the bill did not pass, they directed funds to OSPI in a statewide effort known as the Reducing Restraint & Eliminating Isolation (RREI) Project, focusing on professional training towards a goal of eliminating isolation and reducing and tracking restraint use. Through 2026, the RREI Project continues.
The need for further action is undeniable. Families have shared devastating stories on the impacts of restraining and isolating kids through testimony and letters, but the data alone demands change. During the 2024-2025 school year, Washington schools reported 22,752 incidents of restraint or isolation, resulting in 2,930 student and staff injuries, a 13% injury rate. Especially concerning, 84% of the students subjected to restraint or isolation were students with disabilities, making this not only a safety issue, but a student support and human rights issue.
We need a pathway to eliminating the practice of isolation - this is not an untested idea. Twelve states have already acted. Seven states - Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, Nevada, New York, and West Virginia - prohibit seclusion/isolation for all public school students. Delaware bans the practice with a narrow waiver process requiring school and parental consent. Florida, Pennsylvania, and Texas prohibit seclusion/isolation for students with disabilities. And as of 2025, Utah has banned isolation for public school kindergarteners.
Like the abolition of corporal punishment - banned in public schools in 30 states, including Washington - the movement to end isolation/seclusion has been gradual but steady. And, the same lesson holds: after the harmful practice was removed, the sky did not fall.
A re-introduced HB 1795 builds on Washington's progress, charting a course towards safety for all.