Restraint & Seclusion in Vermont Schools: Ending the Trauma

All Brains Belong VT is proud to announce a collaboration with Dr. Ross Greene and Lives in the Balance to advocate for the creation of school environments where children with all types of brains can thrive.

Specifically, we advocate for a shift to proactive, trauma-informed, collaborative, relationship-based approaches to “challenging behavior.” We also advocate for an end to the traumatic practices of secluding and restraining children.

Below is a new documentary created by Lives in the Balance. Through interviews with Vermont educators, healthcare professionals, and families, you will see the urgency of ending the practices of seclusion and restraint. It may be hard to watch (content warning: trauma, descriptions of restraint/seclusion, brief mention of children’s death).

Restraint and Seclusion in Vermont Schools: Ending the Trauma (Credit: Lives in the Balance, 2023)

Restraint & Seclusion in Vermont: What You Need to Know

TAKE ACTION

If you are distressed by what you are seeing, email your legislator to share your story and concerns.

Click here to find your Representative and Click here to find your Senator

  • Physical “restraint” is when an adult pins down a young child. This means preventing a child from moving their arms, legs, torso, and/or head freely. Vermont law currently allows for “prone” (face down) and “supine” (face up). This is outlawed in more than 30 states.
  • Prone and supine restraint has resulted in childrens’ death in 30 states. These positions make it more likely that the adult puts pressure on the child’s airway. This prevents the child from getting enough oxygen to breathe.
  • “Seclusion” is the practice of confining a child ALONE in a room, locking or blocking the exit. Click here for more info.