I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7124 
To prohibit and prevent seclusion and to prevent and reduce the use of 
physical restraint in schools, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 14, 2018 
Mr. BEYER (for himself, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. TONKO, 
Ms. NORTON, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. SABLAN, Ms. WILSON 
of Florida, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New 
Mexico, Ms. LEE, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. MOORE, Ms. ESTY of Con-
necticut, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Mr. 
LANGEVIN, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. PRICE of 
North Carolina, Mr. MCEACHIN, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. CLARK of Massa-
chusetts, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. HIMES, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mr. 
TAKANO, Mr. MCNERNEY, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. RYAN of 
Ohio, Mr. NADLER, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. GOMEZ, and Mr. 
JOHNSON of Georgia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the 
Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To prohibit and prevent seclusion and to prevent and reduce 
the use of physical restraint in schools, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:05 Nov 15, 2018
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7124.IH
H7124
pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Keeping All Students Safe Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings. 
Sec. 3. Purposes. 
Sec. 4. Definitions. 
Sec. 5. Minimum standards; rules of construction. 
Sec. 6. State plan and report requirements and enforcement. 
Sec. 7. Grants for State educational agencies. 
Sec. 8. National assessment. 
Sec. 9. Protection and advocacy systems. 
Sec. 10. Applicability to private schools and home schools. 
Sec. 11. Authorization of appropriations. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Restraint and seclusion have resulted in se-
rious physical injury, psychological trauma, and 
death to children in public and private schools. Na-
tional research shows students have been subjected 
to restraint and seclusion in schools as a means of 
discipline, to force compliance, or as a substitute for 
appropriate educational and behavioral support. 
(2) All children have the right to be free from 
physical or mental abuse, aversive behavioral inter-
ventions that compromise health and safety, and any 
restraint or seclusion imposed solely for purposes of 
discipline or convenience. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:05 Nov 15, 2018
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7124.IH
H7124
pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS
(3) Safe, effective, evidence-based strategies are 
available to support children who display challenging 
behaviors in school settings. Training for staff fo-
cused on the dangers of restraint and seclusion as 
well as training in evidence-based positive behavior 
supports, de-escalation techniques, and physical re-
straint and seclusion prevention, can reduce the inci-
dence of injury, trauma, and death. 
(4) School personnel have the right to work in 
a safe environment and should be provided training, 
resources, and support to prevent injury and trauma 
to themselves and others. 
(5) Despite the widely recognized risks of re-
straint and seclusion, a substantial disparity exists 
among many States and localities with regard to the 
protection and oversight of the rights of children 
and school personnel to a safe learning environment. 
(6) Children are subjected to restraint and se-
clusion at higher rates than adults. Physical re-
straint which restricts breathing or causes other 
body trauma, as well as seclusion in the absence of 
continuous face-to-face monitoring, have resulted in 
the deaths of children in schools. 
(7) Children are protected from inappropriate 
restraint and the use of seclusion in other settings, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:05 Nov 15, 2018
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7124.IH
H7124
pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS
such as hospitals, health facilities, and nonmedical 
community-based facilities. Similar protections are 
needed in schools, yet such protections must ac-
knowledge the differences of the school environment. 
(8) Research confirms that restraint and seclu-
sion are not therapeutic, nor are these practices ef-
fective means to calm, discipline, or teach children, 
and may have an opposite effect while simulta-
neously decreasing a child’s ability to learn. 
(9) The effective implementation of schoolwide 
positive behavior supports is linked to greater aca-
demic achievement, significantly fewer disciplinary 
problems, increased instruction time, and staff per-
ception of a safer teaching environment. 
(10) The 2015 bipartisan reauthorization of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act requires 
States to support local educational agencies in im-
proving school conditions through reducing the use 
of aversive behavioral interventions. The report 
issued by the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions of the Senate regarding the au-
thorization described aversive behavioral interven-
tions as including seclusion and restraint. There is 
bipartisan agreement that schools must reduce seclu-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:05 Nov 15, 2018
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7124.IH
H7124
pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS
sion and restraint to improve school conditions for 
all children. 
SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of this Act are to— 
(1) prohibit seclusion in schools; 
(2) prevent seclusion, and prevent and reduce 
the use of physical restraint in schools; 
(3) ensure the safety of all students and school 
personnel in schools and promote a positive school 
culture and climate; 
(4) protect students from— 
(A) physical and mental abuse; 
(B) aversive behavioral interventions that 
compromise health and safety; 
(C) any seclusion; 
(D) any physical restraint imposed solely 
for purposes of discipline or convenience; 
(E) physical restraint and physical escort 
that is known to be life-threatening, including 
physical restraint that restricts breathing; and 
(F) physical restraint if contraindicated 
based on the student’s disability, heath care 
needs, or medical or psychiatric condition; 
(5) ensure that physical restraint is imposed in 
school only when a student’s behavior poses an im-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:05 Nov 15, 2018
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7124.IH
H7124
pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS
minent danger of serious physical injury to the stu-
dent, school personnel, or others; 
(6) ensure that— 
(A) parents are fully informed of the pro-
hibitions and requirements of this Act; 
(B) parents are fully informed of the poli-
cies on restraint and seclusion of the applicable 
school, local educational agency, and the State; 
(C) parents are notified when physical re-
straint has been utilized on their child or chil-
dren; and 
(D) a meeting with parents occurs to dis-
cuss the incident in which physical restraint is 
imposed on their child pursuant to section 
5(a)(6)(B); and 
(7) assist States, local educational agencies, 
and schools in— 
(A) establishing policies and procedures to 
keep all students, including students with the 
most complex and intensive behavioral needs, 
and school personnel safe; 
(B) providing school personnel with the 
necessary tools, training, and support to ensure 
the safety of all students and school personnel; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:05 Nov 15, 2018
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7124.IH
H7124
pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS
(C) collecting and analyzing data on phys-
ical restraint in schools; and 
(D) identifying and implementing effective 
evidence-based models to prevent seclusion and 
reduce and prevent physical restraint in schools. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) APPLICABLE PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘appli-
cable program’’ has the meaning given the term in 
section 400(c) of the General Education Provisions 
Act (20 U.S.C. 1221(c)). 
(2) CHEMICAL RESTRAINT.—The term ‘‘chem-
ical restraint’’ means a drug or medication used on 
a student to control behavior or restrict freedom of 
movement that is not— 
(A) prescribed by a licensed physician, or 
other qualified health professional acting under 
the scope of the professional’s authority under 
State law, for the standard treatment of a stu-
dent’s medical or psychiatric condition; and 
(B) administered as prescribed by the li-
censed physician or other qualified health pro-
fessional acting under the scope of the profes-
sional’s authority under State law. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:05 Nov 15, 2018
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7124.IH
H7124
pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS