Iowa Administrative Code › Agency 281 - Education Department › Title XVII - Protection of Children › Chapter 103 - Corporal Punishment, Physical Restraint, Seclusion, and Other Physical Contact With Students › Rule 281-103.2 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 3, July 24, 2024
For the purposes of this chapter:
"Bodily injury"
means physical pain,
				  illness, or any impairment of physical condition.
"Corporal punishment"
means the intentional
				  physical punishment of a student. "Corporal punishment" includes the use of
				  unreasonable or unnecessary physical force, or physical contact made with the
				  intent to harm or cause pain.
"Debriefings"
means meetings to
				  collaboratively examine and determine what caused an incident or incidents
				  resulting in the use of physical restraints or seclusion, how the incident or
				  the use of physical restraints or seclusion or both could have been avoided and
				  how future incidents could be avoided, and to plan for and implement positive
				  and preventative supports. The debriefing process is intended to improve future
				  outcomes by reducing the likelihood of future problem behavior and the
				  subsequent use of physical restraint or seclusion.
"Mechanical restraint"
means the use of a
				  device as a means of restricting a student's freedom of movement. "Mechanical
				  restraint" does not mean a device used by trained school personnel, or used by
				  a student, for the specific and approved therapeutic or safety purposes for
				  which such a device was designed and, if applicable, prescribed, including
				  restraints for medical immobilization, adaptive devices or mechanical supports
				  used to allow greater freedom of mobility than would be possible without the
				  use of such devices or mechanical supports, and vehicle safety restraints when
				  used as intended during the transport of a student in a moving vehicle.
"Parent"
means an individual included in the
				  definition of "parent" in rule
				  281-41.30 (256B, 34CFR300), and
				  also includes an individual authorized to make decisions for the child pursuant
				  to a power of attorney for temporary delegation of custody or for making
				  educational decisions.
"Physical restraint"
means a personal
				  restriction that immobilizes or reduces the ability of a child to move the
				  child's arms, legs, body, or head freely. "Physical restraint" does not mean a
				  technique used by trained school personnel, or used by a student, for the
				  specific and approved therapeutic or safety purposes for which such a technique
				  was designed and, if applicable, prescribed. "Physical restraint" does not
				  include instructional strategies, such as physically guiding a student during
				  an educational task, hand-shaking, hugging, or other nondisciplinary physical
				  contact.
"Prone restraint"
means any restraint in
				  which the child is held face down on the floor.
"Reasonable and necessary force"
means that
				  force, and no more, that a reasonable person would judge to be necessary under
				  the circumstances that existed at the time, that is not intended to cause pain,
				  and that does not exceed the degree or duration required to accomplish the
				  purposes set forth in rule
				  281-103.5 (256B,280).
"School"
includes public school districts,
				  accredited nonpublic schools, and area education agencies.
"Seclusion"
means the involuntary
				  confinement of a child in a seclusion room or area from which the child is
				  prevented or prohibited from leaving; however, preventing a child from leaving
				  a classroom or school building is not considered seclusion. "Seclusion" does
				  not include instances when a school employee is present within the room and
				  providing services to the child, such as crisis intervention or
				  instruction.
"Seclusion room"
means a room, area, or
				  enclosure, whether within or outside the classroom, used for
				  seclusion.