On February 23rd, the Department of Justice (DoJ) announced that the Special School District of St. Louis, Missouri (SSD) violated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It found that the SSD subjected students with disabilities to restraint and seclusion that were excessive, unjustified, and discriminatory. The DoJ describes the SSD secluding students nearly 4,000 times over a two year period. One school served by the district serves fewer than 100 students and used seclusion nearly 1700 times; every student in this school was subjected to restraint or seclusion at least once during the two-year investigation period between 2022 and 2024.
Restraint and seclusion are not just discriminatory, they are dangerous and sometimes deadly. Both physical restraint and seclusion in isolation rooms have caused injuries and death of students in the past. In St. Louis, the DoJ found that students were regularly secluded in response to self-harm, a practice that puts students at even greater risk of serious injury.
ASAN applauds the Department of Justice’s actions in pursuing this investigation and protecting the rights and safety of students with disabilities. This finding is a key reminder of the crucial role that the DoJ’s Civil Rights Division and the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights have in protecting our rights. We encourage the administration to ensure that this critical work protecting the rights of disabled individuals continues and is adequately staffed and funded.
To find out more about what we can do to combat restraint and seclusion, see ASAN’s School Climate Issue Tracker.