District reports drop in seclusions; administrators plan policy update and reporting change

The Hartford J1 School District presented its Act 125 seclusion and restraint report at the Aug. 20 board meeting, and administrators reported an overall decline in seclusions.

Dr. Buie, who delivered the Act 125 summary, said Lincoln went from 41 seclusions in a previous year to 15 this year and that several students involved had Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). "At Lincoln, there were 41 seclusions; this year it's 15," Dr. Buie said. He described a districtwide pattern of decreased seclusion incidents and noted small increases in restraint occurrences at a few buildings.

Board members asked whether the change reflected a policy shift or better coordination. Administrators said the district had conducted targeted pilot programs focused on behavior, brought in external support (Ross Green) to address root causes, increased parent engagement, and provided summer professional development on de-escalation techniques. Those operational efforts, administrators said, helped reduce incidents for students, including those with disabilities.

Administrators also said the district's seclusion-and-restraint policy (Policy 56-30-01: use of seclusion and physical restraint) was last updated in 2021 and that they plan to include policy revisions in an upcoming batch of updates. Following this year's report delivery, future Act 125 reports will come from People Services instead of individual principals.

What happens next: Staff will include policy updates in the next policy packet and change the reporting location for future Act 125 reporting to People Services so the district can consolidate and publish the data consistently.