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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A House committee heard testimony Tuesday on a bill that would permanently institute the current law on how disruptive students can be restrained and provide more training for school employees.
The Legislature last year passed a law that allows teachers to physically restrain students or put them in seclusion only when they are an imminent threat to themselves or other students and requires parents to be notified on the day students were restrained or put in seclusion.
That law expires in June 2018, so the bill in front of the House Committee on Children and Seniors would make it permanent, as well as prohibit the use of handcuffs or medicine to subdue a student and train staff to prevent secluding or restraining a child.
Topeka parent John Hurla was among several parents who testified in favor of the bill Tuesday and was part of a task force that helped shape the proposed measure.
He said that his children with behavioral issues were being placed in a solitary room less frequently because of the changes made in last year's law, and that his children's reading levels have improved because they are spending more time in the classroom now.
"The law you passed last year has brought clarity, focus and a significant impact to families all across Kansas." Hurla said, adding, "The results are so incredibly positive that it bears repeating."
The new bill also would provide teachers with alternatives to seclusion or restraint for students who have a medical condition and are exempted due to a doctor's note showing that such actions would put the child in physical or mental danger.
Wichita parent Aldona Carney told the committee that her 21-year-old son would benefit from additional staff training to prevent restraint or seclusion. She said that her son's teacher used a de-escalation method when she sang to him until he calmed down during an episode last summer.
"He was able to return to his classroom sooner because he was not put in the security room," Carney said.
The House committee is scheduled to debate the measure Thursday, but chairwoman Connie O'Brien said that might be delayed.
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