Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Bill Would End Schools' Use Of Student Seclusion, Curb Physical Restraints
ProPublica: National Ban On School Use Of Seclusion And Restraint Of Students Introduced In Congress
Congressional Democrats introduced legislation Thursday that would make it illegal to put students in seclusion and would limit the use of physical restraint in schools that receive federal funds. The bill, called the Keeping All Students Safe Act, would enact a national ban on restraints that can restrict breathing, including prone restraint where students are held face down on the floor and supine where they are held face up. Other restraints in the standing or seated positions could be used only when there is an immediate risk of serious physical harm. (Cohen, 11/19)
ProPublica: New Data Shows The Use Of Seclusion And Restraint Increased In Illinois Schools During The 2017–18 School Year
Illinois schools reported putting students into seclusion at least 10,776 times in the 2017-18 school year — up more than 50% from the last time districts sent seclusion data to the federal government, two years earlier. The number of school districts that reported using seclusion, the practice of forcibly isolating a student in a small room or other space, also increased to 138 from 133, underscoring how entrenched the practice has been in the state. (Smith Richards and Cohen, 11/17)
In other school news —
CBS News: School Districts Saw Unprecedented Drop In Enrollment During Pandemic
Going back to school this year has been a lesson in patience. Since the surge of COVID cases this fall, many cities, including New York, Detroit and Philadelphia, have suspended or postponed their plans to hold in-person classes. The delays and ever changing schedules have been frustrating to parents and students but also worrisome to educators who told us at the start of the school year, hundreds of thousands of students did not enroll. They're not logging in or coming in. We wondered, where did they go? (Alfonsi, 11/22)
Houston Chronicle: Houston-Area Schools See Surge In Failing Students As COVID Wreaks Havoc On Grades
Students across Greater Houston failed classes at unprecedented rates in the first marking period, with some districts reporting nearly half of their middle and high schoolers received at least two F grades because they routinely missed classes or neglected assignments. The percentage of students failing at least one class has doubled, tripled or even quadrupled in several of the region’s largest school districts, education administrators reported in recent days, a reflection of the massive upheaval caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Carpenter, 11/20)
Miami Herald: No Plan To Close South Florida Schools As COVID Numbers Rise In The Schools, Counties
Public schools in both Miami-Dade and Broward counties saw their confirmed COVID-19 cases jump by well over 100 in a week’s time, a trend that started shortly after students were allowed back to in-person learning in early October. Despite the rise, neither school district has immediate plans to close schools down and return to online-only classes. (Goodhue and Wright, 11/21)
