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Prohibits unlawful seclusion and restraint of students in schools, Head Start programs, and other federally assisted educational programs, and sets strict limits on when and how physical restraints may be used. It requires state-approved crisis intervention training for personnel, same-day and written parent notification after incidents, state data collection and public reporting, a competitive grant program to reduce restraint and seclusion, and federal enforcement remedies including investigations and the ability to withhold federal funds. Also creates a private right of action for students and parents, requires incident reporting to protection-and-advocacy systems and law enforcement when injury or death occurs, directs national study and interim/final reports on effectiveness, and authorizes funding beginning in FY2026 (amounts unspecified).
The bill strengthens protections, training, transparency, and enforcement to reduce harmful seclusion and restraint—especially for students with disabilities—but does so by imposing significant compliance, reporting, and potential litigation costs, raising privacy and implementation challenges that could strain school and state resources.
Students — especially children with disabilities and Head Start participants — will face fewer uses of seclusion and physical restraints due to required State policies, grant‑funded prevention programs, and clearer limits on when restraints are allowed.
School staff and program personnel will receive standardized, State‑approved crisis intervention training and periodic certification, improving preparedness and safer responses to behavioral crises.
Parents and families gain stronger transparency and enforceable remedies — faster notifications after serious incidents, access to multidisciplinary meetings, and avenues to seek court relief or advocacy investigations.
State and local education agencies, Head Start programs, and schools will face substantial new compliance costs — training, certification, reporting, documentation, and monitoring — that may divert funds and staff time from instruction and services.
Short grant periods and unspecified future appropriations risk program sustainability: successful prevention programs could lapse after limited federal funding ends, undermining long‑term gains.
Removing Eleventh Amendment immunity and allowing enforcement actions increases litigation exposure and potential legal costs for state and local education agencies, which could be borne by taxpayers.
Introduced December 11, 2025 by Christopher Murphy · Last progress December 11, 2025