Pass the Keeping All Students Safe Act!

Please support KASSA, the Keeping All Students Safe Act! Schools are supposed to be safe places for children to learn and grow, but unfortunately this is not the case for all students. KASSA would put protections in place to prevent students from being violently restrained or put into seclusion at school. Children, especially those with special needs, have been seriously harmed by the use of restraint and seclusion in their classrooms. An eighth grader named Cedric Napoleon died due to his teacher using a restraint hold on him. Despite the years that have passed since this tragedy, the laws surrounding seclusion and restraint have not changed, but now they can if KASSA is passed. Seclusion and restraint violate the constitutional rights of American students, especially under the Fourth Amendment, and the Tinker vs. Demoines case of 1969 established that students retain all of their constitutional rights even when they are in school. Additionally, secluding and restraining students does nothing to address the root causes of their behavior, especially for children and teens who have ADHD, autism, or a mental illness and are likely only acting out because they are struggling. Seclusion and restraint may also cause trauma and distress that can lead to even worse behavior. There are better ways of handling these situations. Please pass the Keeping All Students Safe Act to protect the personal rights and wellbeing of all American students.