The Fairfax County School Board approved a new policy on Restraint and Seclusion, effective 12/17/2020. Our FCPS policy either meets or exceeds the Virginia regulation 8VAC20-750, Regulations Governing the Use of Seclusion and Restraint in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools in Virginia.

The policy includes strategies that incorporate positive behavioral interventions and support consistent with the student's rights to be treated with dignity and to be free from abuse, including alternatives to physical restraint and seclusion. Continued use of positive behavioral interventions and support strategies will be used to reduce and prevent the need for the use of physical restraint and seclusion. If behaviors need intervention to keep students and staff safe, the policy dictates that the least restrictive intervention will be used.  

Seclusion is prohibited in all FCPS schools with the exception of Burke School, Key Center, and Kilmer Center effective January 1, 2021. Only personnel who have completed advanced training will be permitted to engage in seclusion.

Effective with the start of the 2022-23 school year, seclusion will be prohibited at all FCPS schools.