This page is for tracking the work of a group of parents focused on reducing the use of restraint and seclusion in public schools.

We work via e-mail and hold a conference call once a month. Leave a note on the discussion page if you want to participate or e-mail gregsmithpm at gmail.com.

Goals

Faciliate the ability of parents to tell their story and be heard without retaliation
Improve transparency about what is happening in schools and analyze data to demonstrate the use of restraint and seclusion.
Develop tools and information for school systems to help reduce the use of restraint and seclusion through positive behavioral support.
Increase the size of our group. Ensure that we have actionable tasks for new parents as they express a desire to be involved.
Improve the laws and regulations on restraint.

Ways to volunteer

Join our e-mail list (add link or info)
Particpate in monthly planning conference calls
Take a task from the to do list and do it! If it's not clear what to do, send an e-mail to the contact and ask for help. Once done, send an e-mail to the contact with closure.

Campaigns

From R-S to PBIS, One District at a Time

This is our first campaign. The goal is to look closely at one school system and see if we can help make a difference there. We start by gathering data. Then we reach out to people in the community. Then we offer resources and support to help them improve the policies and practice in their schools.

We picked Lewiston, Maine as our first target school system because we found data suggesting it's incidence of restraint is higher than the norm. We also have experience in Maine based on work to update the regulations there. After we learn from this first city, we should be able to apply a similar methodology to other school systems.

The campaign will be a success when:

The regulations in Lewiston are updated to conform to the new state wide regulations.
There is a group of parents and others in Lewiston who are empowered to continue tracking and working on this issue.
We have documented the process of the campaign and can replicate it in other school systems.

This campaign addresses groupwide goals 1,2,3 and 4.

Contacts

Contact Deb (add e-mail?) and Greg gregsmithpm at gmail dot com for help with tasks or more information.

To Do List

Less than 30 Minute Tasks

Collect data on Lewiston from Federal site: http://ocrdata.ed.gov/ and post it.
Write overview of the data (e.g. what are the key points, how does it compare to statewide data)
Find and post links to Lewiston school system policies and special education programs.
Find e-mails and if possible names of parents in Lewiston who are involved in Special Education. Save them but don't post them online.
Collect contact names and e-mails addresses of people we want to influence (mostly school board members). Save them but don't post them online.
Research news and artciles on education in Lewiston.
Search for contacts in the provider community and at the state level who are motivated to help in Lewiston

30 - 60 minute Tasks

Think about the 30 minute tasks, add detail, add new ones and break them down in to smaller sub-tasks.
Update and edit the campaign objectives and purpose. Explain why Lewiston and why we, as outsiders, should be involved there.
Write the first draft table of contents for a packet of information we can share with parents and others in Lewiston. It should express concern for the issue, identify gaps in policies and offer resources and ways to make things better

Other open areas of work

When the message and people to deliver it are final reach out to the school board and administration
Leave behind a group of empowered parents and others who can continue to work in the community. Get regular updates on how it's going and support them.
Once we run a campaign like this in one city or town, we document how to do and move on to the next one.

Meeting minutes

Next Meeting

Tentatively set for Friday, December 7 at 2PM

Proposed agenda:

10 minutes - Introductions and update on recent work
10 minutes - Finalize group name
10 minutes - Discuss communication strategy (facebook group, e-mail list etc.)
20 minutes - Discuss status and to do list for first campaign
10 minutes - Set agenda for next meeting with a goal of sending recruiting e-mails in January

Comments and updates to agenda welcome.

November 16 Meeting

Deb and Greg talked on 11/16

Next meeting Friday December 7th at 2PM.

Notes:

We discussed goals briefly. The only change was to add the words restraint and seclusion and positive behavioral supports to goals 2 and 3. - We brainstormed our first campaign to address goals 2,3,4, and 5

Possible title (I made this up after the call so comments welcome):
From restraint and seclusion to positive behavioral support, one school district at a time

Steps in the campaign:

Collect data from Federal site: http://ocrdata.ed.gov/ and other sources to identify school systems with higher than normal incidence (Deb already identified Lewiston, ME as the first one to work on).
Gather the data, post it on a web site and add context and explanation (e.g. what is the norm, how far out is this system and anything else which explains what it means and why it's important.
Research the policies (e.g. JKAA) and other info on that school system
Find wasy to influence the school board and administration to address the issue
1. Get the contact info for the school board
2. Find affected parents in the target community.
3. Find professionals near by or otherwise motivated to help
4. Identify elected representatives who can help
5. Identify state level administrators who can help
Create a packet of information and message for the school board (aka school committee in MA)
1. It should express concern for the issue, identify gaps in policies and offer resources and ways to make things better
When the message and people to deliver it are final reach out to the school board and administration
Leave behind a group of empowered parents and others who can continue to work in the community. Get regular updates on how it's going and support them.

Once we run a campaign like this in one city or town, we document how to do and move on to the next one.

Second campaign idea: Implementing laws and regulations in states that don't have them - Identify states that don't have any relevant laws or regulations - Collect examples of incidents and post that - Create a packet of information which shows how to create new laws or regulations based on the work done in Maine - Find groups in the target states and share the packet with them

This one needs more defintion but it addresses the goal 6 of improving laws and regulations.

Other subjects: - Deb mentioned that she has or may create a private facebook group to encourage discussion.

Action items:

Deb to suggest some new names for the group (bname should signify: open, grassroots, compassionate, motivated to make change)
Deb to write down the steps needed to take data off the OCR web site (aka step one in the campaign).
Once new name is agreed on, Greg to move wiki page to that place.
Greg to update web page
Greg to set agenda for next meeting (focused on how we recruit more people and what we will ask them to do once they express interest)

October 26 meeting

Introductions and brief review of recent work

Discussed our perspectives and goals. Greg talked about Mass initiative and work to create parents group. Deb talked about her work on the regulations in Maine. Bill talked about his experience and sense that this is a growing movement and he has heard from many people fromm all over the country. He thinks the next phase will be addressng issues of retaliation. We all noted that it's a systemic problem and will need a long term concerted effort to address it..

Adding people to the group

We agreed that anyone who wants to participate can send Greg an e-mail. If they want vto ohelpp advocate with ut, Greg will then add them to the cc and invite them to the next meeting.
Note, people who were not on the call, please confirm to me that you are OK with that

Goals discussion. we came up with these goals not in priority order:
- Faciliate the ability of parents to tell their story and be heard without retaliation
- Improve transparency about what is happening in schools and analyze data to demonstrate the use of restraint and seclusion.
- Develop tools and information for school systems to help reduce the use of restraint and seclusion through positive behavioral support.
- Increase the size of our group. Ensure that we have actionable tasks for new parents as they express a desire to be involved.
- Improve the laws and regulations on restraint.

Agenda for next meeting:
- 20 minutes - Introductions and review of recent work
- 5 minutes - A quick read through to approve the goals.
- 5 minutes - Discuss any logistical issues or ideas (e.g. should we move this to an e-mail list, is the wiki good, too many e-mails or just right?)
- 20 minutes - Brainstrom objectives and campaigns to work on. Each should contribute to one of the goals above.
- 10 minutes - Set agenda for next meeting.

Links, documentation, ideas and comments

Recent ruling by BSEA in MA allowing Mechanical Restraint based on a school doctor seeing a short video:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/bsea/decisions/11-5444a.doc

Media coverage generated by Op Ed in New York Times:
http://terrifyingdiscipline.weebly.com/index.html

Motivational article http://www.copaa.org/public-policy/standing-in-our-own-shoes/

Federal resource document:
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/seclusion/restraints-and-seclusion-resources.pdf

Online training for influencing people:
http://www.partnersinpolicymaking.com/makingyourcase/

Documents collected in Maine initiative to update regulations:
http://www.maine.gov/education/rulechanges/chapter33/resources.html

Another concerning r/s article
http://www.sunjournal.com/news/franklin/2012/10/25/rsu-9-staff-facing-challenges-under-new-rule/1271392

Dissertation on how best to train teachers on reducing the use of restraint and seclusion.
http://wiki.laptop.org/images/f/f4/PREVENTION_AND_REDUCTION_OF_RESTRAINT_AND_SECLUSION_IN_PUBLIC_SCHOOLS-_A_COMPREHENSIVE_APPROACH_Nancy_I._Macias-Smith_Doctoral_Project_2012.pdf

A guide book for training teachers on how gto avoiod the use of restraint and seclusion.
http://wiki.laptop.org/images/2/28/FINAL_GUIDEBOOK_Nancy_I_Macias-Smith_04_11_2012_REV_SL_JL_BL_NMS_v2-1-.docx

Article about a positive approach http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2012/10/17/schools-gains-positive-behavior/16670/

SWPBIS success story http://www.toledoblade.com/Education/2012/10/30/Positive-behavior-strategy-seeks-to-lessen-discipline-gap.html

Issues in Ohio that is similar to the push back in Maine: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/11/04/state-plan-a-burden-schoolssay.html

Positive interventions being used in Ohio: http://www.toledoblade.com/Education/2012/10/30/Positive-behavior-strategy-seeks-to-lessen-discipline-gap.html