AN ACT Relating to restraint or isolation of students, including students with disabilities, in public schools; amending RCW 28A.155.020 and 28A.600.485; adding a new section to chapter 28A.345 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 2.  RCW 28A.155.020 and 2007 c 115 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

There is established in the office of the superintendent of public instruction an administrative section or unit for the education of children with disabilities who require special education.

Students with disabilities are those children whether enrolled in school or not who through an evaluation process are determined eligible for special education due to a disability.

In accordance with part B of the federal individuals with disabilities education improvement act and any other federal or state laws relating to the provision of special education services, the superintendent of public instruction shall require each school district in the state to insure an appropriate educational opportunity for all children with disabilities between the ages of three and twenty-one, but when the twenty-first birthday occurs during the school year, the educational program may be continued until the end of that school year. The superintendent of public instruction, by rule, shall establish for the purpose of excess cost funding, as provided in RCW 28A.150.390, 28A.160.030, and 28A.155.010 through 28A.155.160, functional definitions of special education, the various types of disabling conditions, and eligibility criteria for special education programs for children with disabilities, including referral procedures, use of ((aversive))positive behavior interventions, the education curriculum and statewide or district-wide assessments, parent and district requests for special education due process hearings, and procedural safeguards. For the purposes of RCW 28A.155.010 through 28A.155.160, an appropriate education is defined as an education directed to the unique needs, abilities, and limitations of the children with disabilities who are enrolled either full time or part time in a school district. School districts are strongly encouraged to provide parental training in the care and education of the children and to involve parents in the classroom.

Nothing in this section shall prohibit the establishment or continuation of existing cooperative programs between school districts or contracts with other agencies approved by the superintendent of public instruction, which can meet the obligations of school districts to provide education for children with disabilities, or prohibit the continuation of needed related services to school districts by the department of social and health services.

This section shall not be construed as in any way limiting the powers of local school districts set forth in RCW 28A.155.070.

Sec. 3.  RCW 28A.600.485 and 2013 c 202 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(a) "Isolation" means ((excluding a student from his or her regular instructional area and)) restricting the student alone within a room or any other form of enclosure, from which the student may not leave. It does not include a student's voluntary use of a quiet space for self-calming.

(b) "Restraint" means physical intervention or force used to control a student, including the use of a restraint device.

(c) "Restraint device" means a device used to assist in controlling a student, including but not limited to metal handcuffs, plastic ties, ankle restraints, leather cuffs, other hospital-type restraints, pepper spray, tasers, or batons. This section shall not be construed as encouraging the use of these devices.

(2) The provisions of this section apply ((only to any restraint of a student who has an individualized education program or plan developed under section 504 of the rehabilitation act of 1973 that results in a physical injury to a student or a staff member, any restraint of a student who has an individualized education program or plan developed under section 504 of the rehabilitation act of 1973, and any isolation of a student who has))to all students, including those who have an individualized education program or plan developed under section 504 of the rehabilitation act of 1973. The provisions of this section apply only to incidents of restraint or isolation that occur while a student ((who has an individualized education program or plan developed under section 504 of the rehabilitation act of 1973)) is participating in school-sponsored instruction or activities.

(3)(a) An individualized education program or plan developed under section 504 of the rehabilitation act of 1973 must not include the use of restraint or isolation as a planned behavior intervention.

(4) Following the release of a student from the use of restraint or isolation, the school must implement follow-up procedures. These procedures must include: (a) Reviewing the incident with the student and the parent or guardian to address the behavior that precipitated the restraint or isolation and the appropriateness of the response; and (b) reviewing the incident with the staff member who administered the restraint or isolation to discuss whether proper procedures were followed and what training or support the staff member needs to help the student avoid similar incidents.

(((4)))(5) Any school employee, resource officer, or school security officer who uses ((any chemical spray, mechanical))isolation or restraint((, or physical force)) on a student during school-sponsored instruction or activities must inform the building administrator or building administrator's designee as soon as possible, and within two business days submit a written report of the incident to the district office. The written report should include, at a minimum, the following information:

(a) The date and time of the incident;

(b) The name and job title of the individual who administered the restraint or isolation;

(c) A description of the activity that led to the restraint or isolation;

(d) The type of restraint or isolation used on the student, including the duration; ((and))

(e) Whether the student or staff was physically injured during the restraint or isolation incident and any medical care provided; and

(f) Any recommendations for changing the nature or amount of resources available to the student and staff members in order to avoid similar incidents.

(((5)))(6) The principal or principal's designee must make a reasonable effort to verbally inform the student's parent or guardian within twenty-four hours of the incident, and must send written notification as soon as practical but postmarked no later than five business days after the restraint or isolation occurred. If the school or school district customarily provides the parent or guardian with school-related information in a language other than English, the written report under this section must be provided to the parent or guardian in that language.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.345 RCW to read as follows:

(1) The Washington state school directors' association shall adopt a model policy limiting restraint or isolation in accordance with RCW 28A.600.485.

(2) In developing the model policy, the school directors' association shall consult with various stakeholders, including experts, parent associations, educators, and administrators.

(3) By one hundred eighty days after the effective date of this section, the school directors' association shall distribute the model policy to the school districts, with encouragement to adopt the model policy locally.

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