At Soaring Eagle Academy, Individualized Regulatory Support Plans (IRSP) are designed to address areas of unmet needs and support co-regulatory strategies to replace dysregulation and resulting challenging behaviors. These stress responses arise because of a student’s individual sensory profile, language comprehension and emotional processing challenges and developmental level. Supporting students in reaching a calm, regulated state with readiness to learn will be achieved using sensory supports, language comprehension strategies and co-regulatory strategies in natural environments throughout their day.
An individual Regulatory Support Plan (IRSP) is the completion of a complex assessment and resulting intervention Safety Plan when appropriate that is developed and updated regularly and reviewed at a student’s Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) meeting. The purpose of the plan is to expand the staff and parents’ understanding of the student’s regulatory profile in order to decrease stress responses resulting in behaviors and facilitate a calm regulated state throughout a student’s day.
Soaring Eagle Academy’s Individual Sensory Profile and Regulatory Assessment and the Individual Regulatory Support Plan (IRSP) contain many components including the following:
- Objective description of stress responses and resulting behavior
- Locations or situations where behavior occurs
- Locations or situations where the student is regulated and the behavior does not occur
- Events that happen just before the behavior
- Events that happen just after the behavior
- Additional information, including the student’s health, medication and strengths.
- Strengths of the student
- Additional supports and interventions that will be provided
- Data collection and evaluation
- Plan for communication with student’s family
Utilizing Soaring Eagle Academy’s Developmental Language and Developmental Individual Differences, Relationship-Based thinking, students must possess the following capacities to complete an intentional behavior.
- Develop relationships with classroom staff
- Be available for learning
- Understand the expectation
- Have an intent to avoid or escape an activity
- Consistent capacity to problem solve
- Have the capacity to pre-plan and comprehend an alternative solution to a challenging behavior
When this developmental level is reached, then additional developmentally appropriate supports will be added to the students IRSP and Safety Plan that facilitate positive relationships with staff and peers and continue facilitating the student’s sense of self and self-esteem while continuing to access Soaring Eagle Academy’s educational and social programming and the student’s IEP.
In the event that a student’s dysregulation results in behaviors that present an imminent danger of serious physical harm to the student or to others and other less restrictive and intrusive interventions have failed, and so long as no medical contraindication exists to the student, procedures are in place for implementation of safe emergency intervention techniques to protect the safety of everyone involved through Safety-Care®. Safety-Care® provides the skills and competencies necessary to effectively prevent, minimize, and manage behavioral challenges with dignity, safety, and the possibility of change. The Safety-Care® core curriculum is presented in a least to most restrictive format designed to provide staff with skills for prevention, minimization, and management of dangerous or challenging behaviors. It is a comprehensive, integrated approach to preventing, de-escalating, and if necessary, intervening when the behavior of an individual poses a threat of harm to themselves and/or others.
Safety-Care® is grounded in decades of research on effective behavioral interventions. “A Safety-Care® nonviolent crisis policy aims to de-escalate challenging behaviors using positive, non-confrontational, and non-coercive methods. It emphasizes a calm, empathic approach, focusing on safety and well-being for all involved. The goal is to prevent crisis situations from escalating by addressing underlying needs and using de-escalation techniques like verbal interventions and creating a calming environment.”
Safety-Care® “acknowledges the widespread impact of trauma and seeks to prevent re-traumatization by integrating knowledge of trauma into all aspect of care. The model includes creating a safe and trusting environment, valuing choice and control and fostering collaboration and empowerment. A safety-first environment where individuals feel physically and psychologically safe, and where their needs are addressed with sensitivity and respect. Staff is trained in Safety-Care®, Soaring Eagle Academy’s Individual Regulatory Support Plan, Student Safety Plans when appropriate and Relationship Based and Developmental Models by trained individuals. Additionally, regular mental health-based processing is available to all staff across classrooms and systems. Only those staff members who are trained in Safety-Care®, are permitted to apply the emergency intervention techniques.
Informed Consent:
Soaring Eagle Academy’s behavior policies and procedures promote proactive developmental and emotionally affirming approaches that support students along a continuum of developing their ability to regulate him/herself. Soaring Eagle Academy does not use any behavior intervention strategies that would jeopardize the safety or security of students or that would rely upon pain as a method of control. Emergency behavioral management intervention techniques are only used to maintain a safe environment and only to the extent necessary to preserve the safety of the student and others. Such techniques are never utilized as a form of punishment.
Prior to enrollment at SEA, a copy of this Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Policy, that details our facility’s behavior management procedures, is provided to the parent/guardian with date received listed on the Nonpublic Facility Placement Contract. Parents are also required to sign and return the Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Policy Acknowledgement form after having reviewed the policy.
After enrollment at Soaring Eagle Academy, the Individual Sensory Profile and Regulatory Assessment is initiated. An Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting is then held at Soaring Eagle Academy to share this additional information and update the student’s IEP. Additionally, a Safety Plan is provided at that time if needed.
Individual Sensory Profile and Regulatory Assessment:
The Individual Sensory Profile and Regulatory Assessment (IRSP) includes any or all of the following in the determination of an appropriate IRSP:
- Review of history, case records, health, medication
- Interview of parents, teachers, aides, therapists and/or primary caregivers;
- Direct observation of student across environments;
- Direct observation of the challenging dysregulation as it occurs;
- Frequency of dysregulation throughout a student’s day **
- Time of dysregulation throughout the student’s day
- Location of dysregulation throughout a student’s day**
- Detailed analysis of sensory profile needs, language comprehension and communication needs and affect/emotional processing needs.
- Profile Consideration that can negatively affect Regulation
- Hyper-responsivity or Hypo-responsivity to Auditory, Visual, Tactile, Vestibular or Multi-sensory input
- Specific variables in each area
- Auditory – Ex. Unexpected loud noises, crying
- Visual – Ex. Bright lights, people/objects moving near them
- Tactile – Ex. Unexpected touch, wet clothing
- Vestibular – Ex. Feet being off the ground, rotary movement
- Body Awareness/Postural Control – Ex. climbing, unstable surface
- Visual Spatial – Ex. Navigating self over/around school
- Language – Ex. Use of too much language, not being able to understand what is requested or expected
- Motor Planning/Problem Solving – Ex. Transitions, getting on/off new equipment or objects.
- Emotions – Ex. High level of emotion positive or negative
- Sleep – Ex. Feeling tired/fatigued, not enough sleep
- Eating/Food – Ex. Not wanting food, eating too fast/slow
- Toileting – Ex. Having a bathroom accident. Frequently toileting
- Range of arousal
- Postural security
- Ideation
- Problem solving
- Trial interventions and strategies; support from the Occupational therapist, Behavior DIR ® Specialist
(Substitute Teacher with additional training in the DIR® model supporting the Functional Emotional Developmental Levels of students), Speech Language Pathologist, Mental Health worker, Teacher, Regulatory/Crisis Responder (Paraprofessional or Substitute Teacher with additional training in using the Safety Care® and SEA's developmental language and DIR® thinking to facilitate and support students in being regulated and available for learning, pro-actively responding to safety and available for crisis situations throughout the students’ day and Behavior DIR ®Expert Clinician/Associate Behavior DIR® Expert Clinicians (Licensed Speech Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Social Worker/Counselor, Special Education Teacher), with additional training and/or expertise in DIR® model thinking from the DIR® certification organizations).
Developing Individualized Regulatory Support Plan (IRSP):
The IRSP is based on the Individual Sensory Profile and Regulatory Assessment and consist of:
- DIR ® individualized sensory processing and motor profile, and language comprehension, communication, and emotional processing capacities.
- Identification, description, location, frequency and length of dysregulation
- Identifying strengths of the student
- Identifying environments where the student is regulated and calm
- Identified variables and profile considerations negatively effecting regulation
- Underlying reason for dysregulation
- Identified anxieties contributing to dysregulation
- Proactive strategies and techniques including sensory profile plan and language comprehension strategies and supports designed to support the student’s optimal level of regulation
- Auditory support – Ex. Working a quiet room, wear sound dampening headphones
- Visual support – Ex. Prepare the student when someone or something is coming into their visual field, close blinds on sunny days
- Tactile support – Ex. Towels ready to wipe clean, offer tools, gloves for unwanted textures
- Vestibular (movement) Ex. Linear swinging, rolling
- Proprioception support – Ex. Push heavy object when moving between rooms, bounce on a therapy ball or ball chair.
- Oral-Respiratory Support - Ex. Blow bubbles, eat sour or crunchy foods
- Visual Spatial support – Ex. Make student space organized and predictable, define a large space by providing smaller areas for student to play and work in within large space.
- Language support – Ex. Keep language to a minimum using more affect and gestures, use real pictures to support language comprehension
- Motor Planning/Problem Solving – Ex. Make all actions engaging and meaningful, prepare for novel activities through use of pictures and video.
- Social -Emotional – Ex. Provide transitional objects, express simple statements reflecting feelings or needs of student
- Eating/Food – Ex. Allow enough time, prepare food items ahead of time
- Toileting – Ex. Use visuals of bathroom, all time to transition to bathroom
- Least restrictive interventions (see Regulatory Interventions Hierarchy) to support regulation and co- regulation in order to maintain safety during instances of dysregulation
- Interventions and strategies to reduce the need for more restrictive intervention techniques (if applicable)
- Data collection to monitor success of intervention plan and sensory supports
- Data collection to monitor the need for more restrictive intervention techniques (if applicable)
All individuals will be given the opportunity to participate in the development of his or her IRSP. Individuals can request changes to his or her plan by notifying any staff member.
Individual Regulatory Support Plan development for any individual will utilize the approach that best allows the student to self- regulate and regain a well-regulated state as established in the Regulatory Interventions Hierarchy and as determined by the sensory profile and regulatory assessment.
Regulatory Interventions Hierarchy:
I. Co-Regulatory Interventions that are least restrictive:
A. Procedures for increasing co-regulatory capacities:
1. Emotional Support Strategies: The identification of and capacity to empathically join the emotional state of the student during moments of negative affect (frustration, anger, embarrassment, rage, sadness, jealousy) while using language that is developmentally appropriate to the student’s linguistic level. Staff will create a safe and trusting emotional tone in the context of any dysregulation to support the student’s capacity to express his/her emotions freely and without judgment. Capacity to express emotions can be nonverbal or verbal. Any nonverbal attempt to express an emotional state will be interpreted and validated by staff. A warm and positive environment creates opportunities for thinking, learning and social interactions.
2. Environmental and Sensory Supports: With the support of the Occupational therapist, Behavior DIR ® Specialists, Regulatory/Crisis Responder and Behavior DIR ® Expert Clinician as well as the student’s individual sensory profile, specific environmental modifications will be made to support the student to maintain a well-regulated state. This may include reduction of visual information, movement near or around student, tactile information, auditory information, and/or increased active or passive movement to support regulatory capacities.
3. Contingent Communication:
a) Student’s emotional state is identified and responded to immediately by staff;
b) Reasons for student’s dysregulation are identified and responded to immediately by staff.
c) Staff provides matched affect or counterbalance affect state to support co-regulatory capacities
d) Student’s capacity to regulate is met with positive support and review by staff.
4. Providing support for student’s comprehension of language or the situation/context:
a) Staff will be aware of student’s comprehension capacities when supporting regulatory capacities. Reduction of language or language that is developmentally appropriate will be used.
b) Use of visual supports/photos/gestures/facial expressions to aid in the student’s ability to understand the overall situation or context as well as to give ideas and options about regulatory alternatives will be provided for the student.
c) Staff will monitor rate of speech, pacing of interaction and vocal intensity to support student’s regulatory capacities.
5. Supporting new self-regulatory capacities:
a) Staff will initially help student find sensory, language, affect/emotional supports that lead to co-regulated states (Staff may choose the option that they know has helped the student in the past or introduce a sensory support to help the student).
b) Staff will provide student with a range of choices that have supported their regulatory capacities in past interactions. Student will be able to choose from these options given their own internal understanding about what supports their regulation.
c) Staff will comment on the student’s growing dysregulation and support their ability to think of a regulatory strategy that has worked in past interactions.
d) Student will experience dysregulation and spontaneously seek out or ask for strategies and supports that have successfully worked in past interactions.
B. Procedures for decreasing physical acts towards self or another (hitting, biting, throwing, etc.):
Soaring Eagle Academy is committed to understanding the reasons why a student engages in physical acts towards self or another. As stated in above sections, understanding the student’s unique profile is essential to understanding why these acts occur and how to support the student. Challenges in the student’s auditory sensitivity, visual spatial system, sensory processing capacities, motor planning and praxis capacities, comprehension of language capacities and expressive language capacities all contribute to physical acts towards another or towards oneself. Therefore, procedures for decreasing these acts will be directly tied to understanding the unique profile and applying strategies that support the deficiency or challenge within that capacity. This information will be part of the student’s Safety Plan when development of such plan is indicated.
- Providing support for student’s unique individual sensory profile: a) If student is hitting, in addition to above strategies under part (A), staff will determine if there are any underlying physical reasons or sensory needs when hitting occurs. If student’s motor planning capacities are compromised, hitting may be the easiest motor plan when they are in distress. Supporting motor planning capacities to develop will be a strategy when hitting is occurring. If student needs more proprioceptive or tactile input, hitting may serve as a way to obtain that input. Staff with support of an occupational therapist will explore providing other ways to achieve this input. b) If student is biting, in addition to above strategies under part (A), determine if there are any underlying physical reasons or sensory needs when biting occurs. If student needs more proprioceptive or tactile input, biting may serve as a way to obtain that input. Staff with support of an occupational therapist will explore providing other ways to achieve this input. c) If student is throwing, in addition to above strategies under part (A), staff will determine if there are any underlying physical reasons or sensory needs when throwing occurs. If student’s motor planning capacities are compromised, throwing may be an easy motor plan when they are in distress. Treating throwing as intentional, providing destinations for throwing and supporting intentional motor planning of this act will be strategies when throwing occurs.
- Support Guide: A non-restrictive intervention that may involve the temporary touching of the hand, wrist, arm, shoulder or back of the student for the purpose of inducing a student who may be acting out to walk to a safe location. During a support guide, a student’s movements are not restricted. A support guide may be used to have a student follow a teacher to an alternate location (sensory room) for a teacher-initiated or student-initiated break. Student is guided to safe place (ex. Sensory room) utilizing a visual of the room and their transitional items. Safe areas for students are the sensory room or therapy rooms located within each classroom system. Designated safe areas are mapped out along all transportation routes and offsite locations. Egress is not restricted while a student is in the sensory room. At least one staff member remains in the room with the student unless requested by the student to leave the room.
- Boundary and Limit Setting: Staff will support the student to feel safe in their environment.
When students are ready developmentally for boundaries and limit setting, staff will place these boundaries and limits for safety, physical acts towards others or themselves by supporting the student’s comprehension through visuals (written and/or pictures) and verbally and nonverbally expressing/indicating that this is not acceptable. Verbal limit setting will take the form of staff members indicating to the student that they will not allow him/her to hurt another or themselves. Students will be supported in understanding what they can do through visuals of activities and ideas. Limit setting will typically be provided by the student’s team (Classroom Teachers, Behavior DIR® Specialist, Occupational Therapist, Regulatory/Crisis Responder and Mental Health worker) versus 1:1 Teacher Assistant/Teacher Assistant.
4. Use of Emergency Alert Codes: When appropriate staff are required to wear a walkie talkie.
All staff are trained to call codes for regulation support. 1:1 Teacher Assistant/Teacher Assistants step aside during the code allowing the Crisis Team to intervene with strategies to de-escalate and support bringing the student back to a regulated state. The codes, their meaning, the responders and the call is detailed as follows:
Code Yellow- Meaning: staff requesting support pre-emptively due to student’s increased anxiety, loss of engagement, loss of idea, struggling to stay on schedule.
Responders: Classroom Teachers, Behavior DIR® Specialist, 1:1 Teacher Assistant/Teacher Assistant Call: Code Yellow (teacher name) (place in school) Example- Code Yellow Lindsey Sensory Gym Code Red - Meaning: Staff requesting support in a situation that is currently involving personal injury to staff or students including hitting/hurting self or others, throwing objects, disrupting other students, destroying property.
Responders: Regulatory/Crisis Responder and/or Crisis Team Member trained in SEA clinical model of DIR Floortime/Developmental Language Model and SEA’s nonviolent crisis intervention methods supporting student dysregulation/behaviors and Safety-Care® Call: Code Red (teacher name) (place in school) Example- Code Red Brenna Cafetorium Code Blue- Meaning: Regulatory/Crisis Responder requesting support to assist with a situation that involves continued injury or fleeing from building. Regulatory/Crisis Responder assist and walk/accompany student from a situation that is currently involving personal injury to staff or students including hitting/hurting self or others, throwing objects, fleeing building, disrupting other students, destroying property.
Responders: Regulatory/Crisis Responder Team Call: Code Blue (teacher name) (place in school) Example- Code Blue Brenna Classroom Code Green - Meaning: Regulatory/Crisis Responder team member is calling for additional crisis team to assist and walk/accompany student from a situation that is currently involving personal injury to staff or students including hitting/hurting self or others, throwing objects, fleeing building, disrupting other students, destroying property that requires additional responders.
Responders: Crisis Team Call: Code Green (teacher name) (place in school) Example- Code Green Danielle Classroom Behavior DIR® Crisis Support staff member is called when the student continues to have Code Blues, a Code Green is initiated and the Individual Regulatory Support Plan and Safety Plan are not supporting the student to reach a calm and regulated state. The Principal Behavior DIR® Crisis Support, Regulatory/Crisis Responder Supervisor or Regulatory/Crisis Responder Supervisor/ Safety-Care® are contacted for any student or staff injury or property damage. Reasonable attempts are made for Parents to be contacted on the same day of the incident. The parents receive the ISBE Physical Restraint and Time Out Form within 1 business day of any incident involving physical restraint. Soaring Eagle Academy’s Dysregulation Form is sent to the school district and parents within 48 hours.
II. More Restrictive Interventions:
Soaring Eagle Academy has adopted a relationship-based non-violent means of restrictive intervention called the Safety-Care®. Soaring Eagle Academy’s Developmental Language and Developmental Individual Differences, Relationship-Based thinking recognizes and considers people’s behavior, even negative behavior, as a form of communication. The foundation for the entire program is to build healthy relationships between staff and students, prevent crisis situations from escalating by creating a calm and predictable environment, addressing underlying needs and using de-escalation techniques to ensure that people feel safe, their needs are met, and goals are achieved.
More Restrictive Interventions are trained for preventative measure only when there is an imminent danger of serious physical harm to the student or another. It is the belief that when staff use de-escalation tools and focus on safety, there is no need to do a physical hold. Teacher assistants and teachers are trained in proactively assisting and supporting students.
The following intervention hierarchy is implemented when a student is a danger to themselves or others.
A. Physical intervention Hierarchy:
- Support Guide of student to safe place (ex. Sensory room) utilizing a visual of the room and their transitional items. A support guides is a non-restrictive intervention that may involve the temporary touching of the hand, wrist, arm, shoulder or back of the student for the purpose of inducing a student who may be acting out to walk to a safe location. During a support guide, a student’s movements are not restricted. Momentary periods of physical restriction by direct person-to-person contact, without the aid of material or mechanical devices, that are accomplished with limited force or no physical contact at all and are designed to prevent a student from completing an act that would result in potential physical harm to the student, others, or damage to property are permissible. Safe areas for students are the sensory room or therapy rooms located within each classroom system. Designated safe areas are mapped out along all transportation routes and offsite locations. Egress is not restricted while a student is in the sensory room.
- If the student presents an imminent danger of serious physical harm to self or others and lesser restrictive interventions are not effective, including the use of a support guide, a more restrictive intervention may be used and a Safety-Care® trained staff member may utilize a planned technique for physical restraint with the Student. More restrictive interventions under Safety-Care® may include:
- 1-Person Stability Hold
- 2-Person Stability Hold
- Floor Seated Stability Hold
- Forward Transport
- Reverse Transport
- Chair Stability Hold
- Leg Wrap
- Small Person Stability Hold
- Small Person Vertical Carry
- Small Person Horizontal Carry
B. Environmental Intervention:
- Staff will make the current environment as safe as possible by moving furniture out of the student’s way and ensuring safety of all students within the environment.
- Two staff members will stay within the room and visual site and auditory contact of student at all times during dysregulation. Time out may be utilized pursuant to Section 1.285 and this policy, when imminent danger of serious physical harm to the student or others exists (see below).
C. Parental Intervention:
For students that have continued challenges with regulation due to stress responses, parent meetings are held at a set frequency either weekly or every other week. The purpose of these parent meetings is multifold including but not limited to the following:
1. Keeping parents informed and allowing time to discuss and answer questions
2. Carry over of support strategies from school to home and home to school.
When regulation improves, then parent meetings decrease in frequency. During the school day, if the student is unable to regulate and return to their daily schedule, then parents are contacted after 30 minutes to alert them to the challenges. If the student continues to aggress towards themselves or others, the Individual Regulatory Support Plan and Safety Plan and involvement by the Behavior DIR® Crisis Support Team are not providing effective support, and the student’s behavior is a basis for suspension, the staff will contact the student’s parents to pick them up and this will be considered a suspension. If a student leaves school early, then district will be notified through a Dysregulation Incident Report and Suspension notice.
Criteria for Implementing More Restrictive Interventions:
More restrictive interventions pursuant to this policy may only be utilized when the student's behavior presents an imminent danger of serious physical harm to the student or others, other less restrictive and intrusive measures have been tried and proven ineffective in stopping the imminent danger of serious physical harm, there is no known medical contraindication to its use on the student, and the school staff members or members applying the intervention have been trained in its safe application. Soaring Eagle Academy complies with Section 1.285 of Part 1, Title 23 of the Illinois Administrative Code for purposes of the administration of more restrictive interventions, such as physical restraint or time out.
Emergency or more restrictive interventions may be implemented by the Safety-Care® trained Regulatory/Crisis Responder or Crisis Team Member. The Principal or administrative designee and Regulatory/Crisis Responder Supervisor/ Safety-Care ® Trainer and other appropriate staff. will review all Dysregulation Incident Reports.
Implementation of more restrictive interventions will be designated for safety and in the best interest of the individual and shall never be used as punishment, for staff convenience, or as a substitute for proactive co-regulatory strategies and interventions.
Examples of physical acts which may require the use of more restrictive interventions when imminent danger of serious physical harm exists include, but are not limited to:
- Any physical act (biting, hitting, scratching, pinching, punching, etc.) that continues without responding to co-regulatory efforts and least restrictive measures/attempts by staff.
- Any repetitive self-injurious behaviors which are resulting in injury.
- Fleeing from the building
- Aggression towards students/adults in the community
The use of isolated time out is prohibited at Soaring Eagle Academy. Certain physical restraints under the Safety-Care ® system and in which staff have been specifically trained (as listed below) or time out may be utilized only when the student's behavior presents an imminent danger of serious physical harm to the student or others, other less restrictive and intrusive measures have been tried and proven ineffective in stopping the imminent danger of serious physical harm, there is no known medical contraindication to its use on the student, and the school staff members or members applying the intervention have been trained in its safe application.
Emergency or restrictive intervention in a Community Setting or Vehicle:
At times, dysregulation resulting in physical acts to others or self may occur while in vehicles or on a community outing. In such cases, staff will intervene following Protocol Safety-Care ® (see steps below). If least restrictive interventions are unsuccessful to provide for the immediate safety of everyone involved, more restrictive intervention may be necessary.
It is very important that signs of dysregulation and anxiety are identified and addressed at the earliest level possible to avoid dysregulation that may lead to physical acting out.
In the event of any instance of dysregulation in the community, the following steps will be taken:
- Lesser restrictive interventions pursuant to the student’s IRSP will be utilized to address the dysregulation.
- If physical acts meet the criteria under “physical acts which may require the use of more restrictive interventions”, and the student’s behavior presents an imminent danger of serious physical harm to self or others,staff will implement approved more restrictive interventions as a last resort to provide for the immediate safety of all individuals involved.
- After returning to Soaring Eagle Academy, the administrator on duty must be notified as soon as possible of the use of more restrictive intervention in the community.
- Appropriate documentation of the incident through completion of a Dysregulation Incident Report, and required State Board of Education form if applicable, must be filed for review by Regulatory/Crisis Responder Supervisor or Regulatory/Crisis Responder /Safety-Care ® Trainer and Principal or administrative designee or other appropriate staff.
More restrictive interventions may include:
- 1-Person Stability Hold
- 2-Person Stability Hold
- Floor Seated Stability Hold
- Forward Transport
- Reverse Transport
- Chair Stability Hold
- Leg Wrap
- Small Person Stability Hold
- Small Person Vertical Carry
- Small Person Horizontal Carry
Time Out
Time out may be utilized pursuant to Section 1.285 and this policy, when imminent danger of serious physical harm to the student or others exists and the other requisite criteria is met. Time out is a behavior management technique for the purpose of calming or de-escalation that involves the involuntary monitored separation of a student from classmates with a trained adult for part of the school day, only for a brief time, in a non-locked setting that meets the regulatory requirements. The trained adult supervising the student in time out, must remain in the same room as the student at all times during the time out.
Parent Notification:
If a more restrictive intervention is required to be used by staff, reasonable attempts will be made to have parents contacted the day of the incident. The parents will also receive the ISBE Physical Restraint and Time Out Form within 1 business day of the incident. Report to the State Superintendent will occur per the regulations no later than two (2) school days from the date of the incident. Soaring Eagle Academy’s Dysregulation Incident Form is also sent to the school district and parents within 48 hours.
A Dysregulation Incident Report must be completed anytime there is a more restrictive intervention. Physical restraints are rarely required at Soaring Eagle Academy as a result of the methodology and lesser restrictive techniques utilized by the school. However, should a physical restraint or time out be utilized in emergency circumstances, Soaring Eagle Academy adheres to 23 Illinois Administrative Code 401.140(a), 23 Illinois Administrative Code 1.285; 105 ILCS 5/14-8.05; and, 105 ILCS 5/10-20.33, as applicable, and all applicable regulations will be followed and a form prescribed by the Illinois State Board of Education will be completed and copy will be provided to parents/guardians within 1 business day and to the State Superintendent within 2 school days.
Restrictive Interventions may only be implemented by staff meeting criteria under “Staff Training” section (see below).
Other than the above-listed holds and time out in which Soaring Eagle Staff is trained, physical restraint of a student, including supine and prone restraints, mechanical restraint of a student, isolated time out are prohibited at Soaring Eagle Academy.
Meeting to Review Interventions:
- No later than 2 school days after each incident of physical restraint, the principal or another designated administrator will notify the student’s parent/guardian that they may request a meeting with appropriate school personnel to discuss the incident. This meeting will be held separate and apart from meetings held in accordance with the student’s IEP. If a parent/guardian requests a meeting, the meeting will be convened within 2 school days after the request, provided that extensions are permitted if agreed to by the parent/guardian. This meeting may at the parent/guardian’s request be convened via telephone or video conference. A summary of the meeting and any agreements or conclusions reached during the meeting will be documented in writing and placed in the student’s school record. A copy of the documents will be provided to the student’s parent/guardian. If a parent/guardian does not request a meeting within 10 school days after the school has provided the documents to the parent/guardian or if a parent/guardian chooses not to attend the requested meeting, that will also be documented in the student’s school record.
- When a student experiences instances physical restraint or time out on any 3 days within a 30-day period, SEA personnel who initiated, monitored, and supervised the incidents shall initiate a review meeting of the effectiveness of the procedures used, review the student’s Individual Regulatory Support Plan, which functions as the student’s functional behavioral assessment, and prepare or update the Safety Plan, which functions as the behavioral intervention plan for the student, that provides either for continued use of these interventions or for the use of other specified interventions. The review meeting will also consider the student's potential need for an alternative program. The parent/guardian will be invited to participate in this review meeting, which may be held as an IEP meeting, and SEA will provide ten days' notice of the meeting’s date, time, and location. This review meeting is required to be held no later than 20 days after the third day the instance of physical restraint or time out occurred, and this timeline may be extended per the request of the student’s parent/guardian.
Meals and Snacks:
Restrictive interventions may occur during times that were scheduled for meal or snack times. The student will always be offered their meal or snack when they are regulated. Meals and snacks are never withheld for any reason. Reasonable access to food, water, medication, and toileting facilities will be provided to students during restrictive interventions.
Use of Sensory Room/Sensory Gym:
Each Pod at Soaring Eagle Academy has rooms designated space called “sensory rooms” in addition to a sensory gym. These rooms are designed to meet the specific needs of each student based on their individual profiles. Sensory rooms can be used for calming purposes, de-escalation and to meet sensory needs through low lighting and sensory objects/tools. Sensory gyms are spaces students can use to meet their sensory/regulatory needs on sensory equipment or for gross motor movement. Egress is not restricted. A student-initiated or teacher-initiated sensory break, including in a sensory room containing sensory tools to assist a student to calm and de-escalate, is not considered a time out.
Staff Training:
Soaring Eagle Academy complies with the staff training requirements for behavioral interventions pursuant to 23 Illinois Administrative Code 1.285(i). Prior to implementing a more restrictive intervention, staff must initially successfully complete 12 hours of Safety-Care® Training, 3 hours of review throughout the year and 6 hours annually for recertification in person as dictated by the led by the of Safety-Care® Trainer. In total, staff who are involved in the supervision or implementation of any crisis behavioral management technique described in this policy, including both physical restraint or time out, receive at minimum 8 hours of training annually in areas that include: crisis de-escalation; restorative practices; identifying signs of distress during restraint and time out; trauma-informed practices; and behavioral management policies.
Safety-Care® is a nonviolent crisis intervention that aims to de-escalate challenging behaviors using positive, non-confrontational, and non-coercive methods. It emphasizes a calm, empathic approach, focusing on safety and well-being for all involved. The goal is to prevent crisis situations from escalating by addressing underlying needs and using de-escalation techniques like verbal interventions and creating a calming environment.
The model believes in a safety-first environment where individuals feel physically and psychologically safe, and where their needs are addressed with sensitivity and respect. Staff is trained in “Safety-Care®, Soaring Eagle Academy’s Individual Regulatory Support Plan, Student Safety Plans when appropriate and Relationship Based and Developmental Models by trained individuals. Additionally, regular mental health-based processing is available to all staff across classrooms and systems. Only those staff members who are trained in Safety-Care® are permitted to apply the emergency intervention techniques. (More information on training in Safety-Care® can be found at ) Staff is instructed on the hierarchy of least to more restrictive interventions and is instructed that certain restraints and time outs and isolated time outs are prohibited and egress cannot be restricted. Authority of individual staff members in the implementation of more restrictive intervention techniques may be rescinded at any time by the Licensed Speech Language Pathologist/Behavior DIR® Expert Clinician, Principal or an administrative designee. Staff is required to participate in regulatory in-services on an annual basis.
Soaring Eagle has 3 on-site Safety-Care® certified trainers who train POD teams (Speech Language Pathologist, Mental Health worker, Teacher, Behavior DIR Specialist, Regulatory/Crisis Responder, Social Worker/Counselor) staff annually in the use of this intervention. Additionally, all staff members complete Soaring Eagle Academy’s Relational Safety Awareness training annually. It is essential that all staff members complete Soaring Eagle Academy’s Relational Safety Awareness training and the Crisis Team is trained in an appropriate manner should a student become a safety risk to himself or others.
Staff that do not support crisis are trained in the Academy’s Safety Awareness program including an initial training, an additional five-part training sequence and yearly training integrating thinking from the DIR model, SEA’s ISBE approved IRSP proactive supports and focusing on awareness and critical thinking skills. Training incorporates classroom safety scenarios and role-playing. Additionally, classroom specific Regulatory/Crisis Responders conduct twice monthly Preventative Safety Training including the review of student specific safety plans.
All staff participate in an initial and annual training on the Policy for Non-Violent Crisis Intervention and Individual Regulatory Support Plan, Time Out and Physical Restraint and Student Discipline. Staff are only permitted to administer physical restraint or time out if they are trained in the safe application of that intervention.
Certified staff that potentially would physically restrain when circumstances require per this policy, specifically if there is an imminent danger of serious physical harm to the student or others, receive yearly, in person physical management training on safe holds Additionally, a minimum of monthly preventative safety trainings and review of specific student safety plans are completed in each POD system. The Crisis Team is led by a Safety-Care® Certified Trainer with support from a Licensed Speech Language Pathologist/Behavior DIR® Expert Clinician or other designee and made up of 18 to 25 staff including classroom specific Regulatory/Crisis Responder, Behavior DIR® Specialists and some 1:1 Teacher Assistants specifically trained for More Restrictive Interventions. The Safety-Care® trainer completes a monthly review of these More Restrictive Interventions as dictated by Safety-Care® Staff who implement a time out must also have received annual systematic training on less restrictive and intrusive strategies and techniques to reduce the use of time out and physical restraint based on best practices and how to safely use time out and physical restraint when those alternative strategies and techniques have been tried and proven ineffective. No staff member may administer a time out before receiving the required training this area.
Individualized Regulatory Support In-services:
The Safety-Care® program presents an education and training system of gradual and graded alternatives for de-escalating and supporting people, using a combination of interpersonal communication skills and physical interaction techniques designed to reduce injury to all the participants in an encounter. Soaring Eagle has 3 on-site Safety-Care® certified trainers who train crisis and POD staff annually in the use of this intervention. It is essential that staff members are trained in an appropriate manner should a student present an imminent danger of serious physical harm and a safety risk to himself or others.
All staff complete Soaring Eagle Academy’s Relational Safety Awareness training and the Crisis Team is trained in an appropriate manner should a student become a safety risk to himself or others.
Certified staff that potentially would physically restrain, in the case of harm to self or others, receive yearly, in person physical management training on safe restraint. Additionally, monthly preventative safety trainings and review of specific student safety plans are completed in each classroom system. The Crisis Team is led by Certified Safety-Care® Trainer with support from a Licensed Speech Language Pathologist/Behavior DIR® Expert Clinician and made up of 18 to 25 staff including classroom specific Regulatory/Crisis Responder, Behavior DIR Specialist and some 1:1 Teacher Assistants/Teacher Assistants specifically trained for More Restrictive Interventions. The Safety-Care® trainer completes a monthly review of these More Restrictive Interventions as dictated by Safety-Care® . Staff members sign in and document their additional time for ongoing training above and beyond their training described above.
Staff is required to be trained on a student’s Individual Regulatory Support Plan (IRSP) and Safety Plan prior to working with him or her. All team members are required to attend Safety meetings for all students to which they are assigned. The team is then required to review the updated Safety Plan with the student’s 1:1 Teacher Assistant.
Documentation of emergency or restrictive interventions:
Documentation for any more restrictive intervention procedure shall be reliable and accurate. Dysregulation reports are utilized for documentation. Physical restraint and time out are only permitted at SEA in an emergency when imminent danger of serious physical harm to self/others exists and only with the utilization of the above-described holds in which staff is trained. The following other forms of restrictive interventions are strictly prohibited at Soaring Eagle Academy: mechanical restraint, chemical restraint, isolated time out, supine and prone restraints.
Data collection through a Dysregulation Incident report will include the following:
- Date
- Name of student
- Description of the Incident and student behavior leading to intervention
- Regulatory Intervention(s) implemented
- intervention(s) implemented
- Time intervention(s) began and ended
- Context and/or circumstances preceding physical act
- Least restrictive procedures attempted prior to use of restrictive intervention
- Indicating if a more restrictive intervention was used
- Physical act which necessitated the use of emergency intervention
- Documentation of student or staff injuries or property damage
- Planned approach to dealing with similar behavior in the future, including de-escalation methods or procedures to avoid the use of the intervention in the future.
Documentation of restrictive interventions is reviewed within 24 hours by the Principal or appropriate designee. The Principal and Regulatory/Crisis Responder /Safety-Care® Trainer or other designated Safety-Care® certified staff are responsible for the supervision of all restrictive interventions and shall regularly review data on physical acts as well as frequency of use of restrictive interventions.
Soaring Eagle Academy also utilizes the form prescribed by the Illinois State Board of Education to document as required by state law and regulations.
Individual Regulatory Support Plan (IRSP) and Safety Plan Monitoring:
All Individual Regulatory Support Plans (IRSP) and Safety Plans will be reviewed during the annual IEP and more frequently as needed. Safety plans will be reviewed and shared for those students with these plans. Safety plans may be discussed and reviewed at weekly team meetings and/or case presentations. Parents and district are provided a copy of the updated Safety plan when developed.
Internal and External Monitoring of Restrictive Interventions:
At least one administrative designee (this may be the classroom teacher, Regulatory/Crisis Responder, Behavior DIR® Expert Clinician) is available on premises during regular school hours. Staff is encouraged to contact the administrative designee for consultation and support during a student’s dysregulation. The administrative designee will assist in providing ideas and strategies for regulation.
An administrative designee will review each individual episode of restrictive intervention with the staff assigned to work with the involved student. When appropriate, the student will also participate in the meeting.
Other Notifications and Procedures:
- When a student is sent home by Soaring Eagle Academy during a school day, the removal may be considered a suspension. After 10 suspensions in any given school year, a manifestation determination review (MDR) meeting may be convened by the IEP team, including the placing school district, to determine the appropriateness of continued placement at the school.
- State Complaint Process
Any parent or guardian, individual, organization, or advocate may file a signed, written complaint with the State Superintendent alleging that a local school district or other entity serving the student has violated Section 1.285 of the Illinois Administrative Code concerning the use of time outs, isolated time outs and physical restraints.
The complaint shall include all of the following:
- the facts on which the complaint is based;
- the signature and contact information for the complainant;
- if known, the names and addresses of the students involved and the name of the school of attendance;
- a description of the nature of the problem, including any facts relating to the problem; and
- a proposed resolution of the problem to the extent known.
The State Superintendent shall only consider a complaint if it alleges a violation occurring not more than one year prior to the date in which the complaint is received. If mutually agreed upon in writing, the parties to the complaint may request State-sponsored mediation, and the student’s placing school district must also agree to participate in mediation.
After receiving a complaint that meets these requirements, the State Superintendent shall:
- carry out an independent investigation, including, but not limited to, an on-site investigation, if deemed necessary by the State Superintendent;
- give the complainant the opportunity to submit additional information, either orally or in writing, about the allegations in the complaint; and
- require that the public entity that is the subject of the complaint submit a written response to the complaint. The public entity shall submit its response and all other documentation to the State Superintendent and the parent, individual, or organization filing the complaint no later than the date indicated in the written correspondence received under this subsection (k), except as prohibited under the Freedom of Information Act [5 ILCS 140].
The State Superintendent must issue a written decision to the complainant that addresses each allegation in the complaint and that contains all of the following:
- findings of fact and conclusion;
- the reasons for the State Board of Education's final decision; and
- orders for any action, including technical assistance.
If the State Board receives information, from school data reporting or any other source, alleging or indicating that a school district or other entity serving a student has violated this Section, the State Board shall have the authority to commence an investigation and issue a written decision as to the allegations or indications. An individual, organization, or other entity providing such information to the State Board shall be able to do so confidentially.
This complaint procedure does not limit, diminish, or otherwise deny the federal and State rights and procedural safeguards afforded to students.
- SEA’s Annual Review of Physical Restraints and Time out: Annually, Soaring Eagle Academy will conduct an annual review of the use of physical restraints and time out by the school, which at minimum will include the review of the number of incidents involving the use of these interventions; the location and duration of each incident; the identification of the staff members who were involved; any injuries or property damage that occurred; and the timeliness of parental or guardian notification and timelines for agency notification and administrative review. This annual review will be conducted by the SEA Principal and Regulatory/Crisis Responder Supervisor / Safety-Care® Trainer.
Updated March 2026
