School districts are prohibited from using types of interventions which are harmful to a student’s health or welfare such as interventions which likely cause pain, which deny a student adequate sleep, food, water, shelter, bedding, physical comfort, or access to bathroom facilities; or which are likely to subject your child to verbal abuse, ridicule or humiliation; or which can be expected to cause your child excessive emotional trauma. An emergency intervention must also not include locked seclusion (unless it is in a facility permitted by law to have a locked room) and use of a device that simultaneously immobilizes all four extremities (not including prone techniques used by trained staff).^[1] 

If you believe that your child’s school is using one of the prohibited types of interventions on your child such as repeatedly using restraint, seclusion, or other similar interventions or calling the police without providing your child with an individualized positive behavior support, you should consider: 

1. Filing a complaint with the California Department of Education (CDE); or 
2. Contacting an advocate or special education attorney for assistance. 

1. Cal. Ed. Code Sec. 56521.1(d).[↩]