UPDATE – ISBE Alternative RTO Reduction Goal & Application Deadline

By , , April 12, 2023April 30th, 2023News

Last week, we sent an update on Physical Restraint, Time Out, and Isolated Time Out (RTO) Reduction Plans for the 2023-2024 school year, due to ISBE on July 1. In the update, we noted ISBE developed an Alternative RTO Reduction Goal Application. To qualify for an alternative RTO reduction goal, the school district must have 20 students or fewer experiencing RTO in the previous school year.

ISBE provided two options for an alternative reduction goal:

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%.

We requested additional clarification from ISBE’s Student Care Division regarding the application of the alternative goal – specifically, if a school district is approved for an alternative RTO reduction goal, does the alternative goal replace one, or all, of the RTO Reduction Plan goals required for 2023-2024, defined here. This week, ISBE clarified that if a district applies for an alternative RTO reduction goal and it is approved by ISBE, the district’s RTO Reduction Plan is based solely on the approved alternative goal.

In addition, ISBE is extending the deadline for applications for an alternative RTO reduction goal to Monday, April 17 (instead of April 15). It is our understanding that ISBE will still review the applications and notify districts by April 30 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.