密歇根州正加紧推动立法改革，以限制学校对学生的隔离和身体约束做法。州参议员Stephanie Chang计划在秋季提出法案，该法案将禁止对学生的隔离，并将身体约束仅限于紧急情况下使用[1]。根据数据，2024-2025学年期间，密歇根学校对学生使用隔离或约束近18000次，其中大多数涉及残障学生[1]。
拟议法案还要求过度使用约束的学区制定减少使用的计划，并规定教职员工接受创伤培训[1]。倡导组织EndSaR的主席Cassie Atallah表示："我们已实施了十年，已证明需要更多保护措施"[1]。
2023年司法部发现Montcalm中学学区违反联邦残障法，该学区随后与政府达成协议承诺禁止隔离[1]。此外，2020年16岁男孩Cornelius Frederick在卡拉马祖青年设施接受身体约束后死亡，相关案例也推动了这项改革的推进[1]。
Michigan is advancing legislation aimed at eliminating the use of seclusion and physical restraints on students in schools. State Senator Stephanie Chang plans to introduce a bill in the fall that would prohibit seclusion entirely and restrict physical restraints to emergency situations only [1]. The proposed measure would also require school districts that have overused restraints to develop plans for reducing such practices, and mandate that staff receive trauma-informed training [1].
The push for stricter regulations comes amid concerning data on current practices. During the 2024-2025 school year, Michigan schools used seclusion or restraints nearly 18,000 times, with the majority of incidents involving students with disabilities [1]. These figures have prompted advocacy groups and families to call for stronger protections. Cassie Atallah, chair of EndSaR, stated: "We've been doing this for ten years, and it's proven that we need more safeguards" [1].
Recent enforcement actions have underscored the need for change. In 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice found that Montcalm Middle School District violated federal disability law, leading to an agreement last year requiring the district to ban seclusion [1]. The issue gained further attention following the 2020 death of Cornelius Frederick, a 16-year-old boy who died after being physically restrained at a Kalamazoo youth facility [1].