Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia › Department 160 - RULES OF GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION › Chapter 160-5 › Subject 160-5-1 - REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL SERVICES › Rule 160-5-1-.35 - Seclusion and Restraint for All Students

Current through Rules and Regulations filed through June 27, 2024
(1)
DEFINITIONS
(a)
Chemical restraint
- any
				medication that is used to control behavior or restrict the student's freedom
				of movement that is not a prescribed treatment for the student's medical or
				psychiatric condition. Use of chemical restraint is prohibited in Georgia
				public schools and educational programs.
(b)
Mechanical restraint
- the
				use of any device or material attached to or adjacent to a student's body that
				is intended to restrict the normal freedom of movement and which cannot be
				easily removed by the student. The term does not include an adaptive or
				protective device recommended by a physician or therapist when used as
				recommended by the physician or therapist to promote normative body positioning
				and physical functioning, and/or to prevent self injurious behavior. The term
				also does not include seatbelts and other safety equipment when used to secure
				students during transportation. Use of Mechanical restraint is prohibited in
				Georgia public schools and educational programs.
(c)
Physical restraint
- direct
				physical contact from an adult that prevents or significantly restricts a
				student's movement. The term physical restraint does not include prone
				restraint, mechanical restraint, or chemical restraint. Additionally, physical
				restraint does not include: providing limited physical contact and/or
				redirection to promote student safety, providing physical guidance or prompting
				when teaching a skill, redirecting attention, providing guidance to a location,
				or providing comfort.
(d)
Prone restraint
- a specific type of restraint in which a student is
				intentionally placed face down on the floor or another surface, and physical
				pressure is applied to the student's body to keep the student in the prone
				position. Use of prone restraint is prohibited in Georgia public schools and
				educational programs.
(e)
Seclusion
-a procedure that isolates and confines the student in a
				separate area until he or she is no longer an immediate danger to
				himself/herself or others. The seclusion occurs in a specifically constructed
				or designated room or space that is physically isolated from common areas and
				from which the student is physically prevented from leaving. Seclusion may also
				be referred to as monitored seclusion, seclusion timeout, or isolated timeout.
				Seclusion does not include situations in which a staff member trained in the
				use of de-escalation techniques or restraint is physically present in the same
				unlocked room as the student, time-out as defined in paragraph (1)(g) of this
				rule, in-school suspension, detention, or a student-requested break in a
				different location in the room or in a separate room. Use of seclusion is
				prohibited in Georgia public schools and educational programs.
(g)
Time-out
- a behavioral
				intervention in which the student is temporarily removed from the learning
				activity but in which the student is not confined.