The ISBE Student Care Department recently announced that it updated its template for Physical Restraint, Time Out, and Isolated Time Out (RTO) Reduction Plans for the 2023-2024 school year. The ISBE RTO Reduction Plan directions and checklist also have been updated. RTO Reduction Plans for the 2023-2024 school year and progress reports for the 2022-2023 school year are due by July 1, 2023, to [email protected]. The updated goals for the 2023-2024 school year are included in both the ISBE RTO Reduction Plan directions and template. The updated template also includes a section for school districts to complete the required progress report for their 2022-2023 RTO Reduction Plans.
For the 2023-2024 school year, each school district RTO Reduction Plan must include at least three reduction goals. The two required goals for every district are:
1. Reduce the number of RTO incidents by 10%; and
2. Reduce the number of students experiencing RTO by 10%.
ISBE provides a list of seven options for the third reduction goal in a school district’s RTO Reduction Plan, available in the RTO Reduction Plan directions and template. School districts should review these options and elect the third reduction goal in their final 2023-2024 RTO Reduction Plans.
Additionally, ISBE developed an Alternative RTO Reduction Goal Application for an alternative reduction goal that takes measurement of progress of individual students into account. A school district may qualify for an alternative reduction goal if the school district has 20 students or fewer experiencing physical restraint, time out, or isolated time out (RTO) in the previous school year. The options for alternative goals are:
1. Reduce the number of physical restraint incidents per individual student in a 30-day period by 20%; or
2. Reduce the number of days each individual student experiences physical restraint in a 30-day period by 20%.
Applications for an alternative RTO reduction goal are due to ISBE by April 15, 2023. The application states that ISBE will review and notify school districts by April 30, 2023, if their applications have been approved to use an alternative goal in their RTO Reduction Plans.
All of the ISBE RTO documents are available on ISBE’s RTO webpage.
Contact an attorney in our Students/Special Education practice group with your RTO questions.
