Dear Parents/Guardians,
Safety is always one of our District’s top priorities, and CPS is committed to using appropriate procedures to provide a safe environment for all students and staff. One of the ways these procedures are enforced is through the adoption of policies that outline how staff should properly engage with students during the school day.
On June 22, 2022, the Board adopted the Behavioral Interventions, Physical Restraints, Time Outs, and Momentary Physical Intervention for Students Policy which sets requirements, restrictions, and procedures related to the use of physical restraints, isolated time out, time out, and momentary physical intervention in CPS schools.
Specifically, the policy requires that any adult supervising a student in time out or applying a physical restraint complete developmentally appropriate training annually. In November of 2022, the Illinois State Board of Education determined that the District is not in compliance with physical restraint and time out training requirements and, as a result, the District has been actively working with ISBE to address any compliance issues, as outlined in the District’s Improvement Plan.
At this time, our school does not have staff member(s) other than our security guards that have completed the developmentally appropriate training. However, we are scheduled for training in April. We will notify you of our designated staff member(s) once training has been completed.
Our school will continue to place an emphasis on preventing physical restraints by focusing on non-physical techniques, relationship building, and supportive programming. If you have any questions about this update, please feel free to contact me directly. CLICK here to view your rights as a parent or guardian to file a complaint with ISBE related to physical restraint and time out.