We all want our public schools to be safe and nurturing environments for children and young people. But, in 2019 shocking investigative reporting by Pro Publica and the Chicago Tribune showed that, unfortunately, schools across Illinois were using practices to physically restrain and seclude students—especially those with disabilities—that subjected them to harm, trauma and even the risk of death. Now a new bill would undermine the reforms passed to address those terrible practices.

In spring of 2021, due to the hard work of disability rights advocacy groups and others, legislation and administrative rules finally passed to address these horrors being inflicted on students. However, a 2023 report from the IL State Board of Education showed that the frequency of incidents for the most part wasn’t decreasing, and one of the most dangerous practices, supine restraint, was drastically increasing.

But, instead of strengthening those 2021 reforms, a new bill, SB 1943, would undermine and undo them. SB 1943 is being heard in the IL Senate Education Committee tomorrow (Wed. April 2nd).

Please put in an OPPONENT witness slip for SB 1943 before 2pm on Wed: bit.ly/SB1943apr2OPPONENT

(Witness slip filing instructions here.)

Equip for Equality has more details here and here on how SB 1943 would roll back protections, including limiting reporting and investigations of these dangerous practices and lowering training requirements for school staff. (Note: one of the E4E links is from a prior hearing; the witness slip link to use for 4/2 is this one.)

For more explanation of how restraint and seclusion are harmful, especially for students with disabilities, see this 2023 post from Access Living.

Thanks for taking a minute to oppose this damaging bill that will hurt students, not help them.