The 2018-19 school year Restraint Information System Collection (RISC) is open for data entry. The system has been enhanced to give local educational agencies (LEAs) greater opportunity to provide more detail about restraints, as well as analyze trends in reducing the use of physical restraints on students.

The Bureau of Special Education (BSE) will continue to require LEAs to report the restraints that occurred in each quarter. This reporting process encourages LEAs to report their restraints in a more timely manner, and, in turn, will help LEAs monitor patterns of episodic behaviors and address them accordingly. The quarterly windows of reporting for the 2018-19 school year are as follows:

The RISC reporting design provides an “End Date” for LEAs to comply with their end of quarterly reporting. In addition, there is a two-week window date labeled “Last Day to Report” to allow LEAs to gather and report their students that attend an out of district facility and were placed in a restraint during that quarter. This two-week period is also a designated time for LEAs that had no restraints during the quarter to report zero in the RISC. BSE will continue to send out reminder PENN*LINKS of quarterly reporting.

BSE will continue to monitor the restraint information entered by LEAs. The RISC continues to require each LEA to report the incident, the unsafe behavior, and the de-escalation techniques utilized.  The parent(s) must be notified by the LEA of the use of a restraint and schedule an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting within 10 school days of the use of the restraint in the educational program or after written notice, the parent agrees in writing to waive the IEP meeting. Additionally, restraints occurring during the Extended School Year sessions should be reported within three weeks of the start of the school year.

In reviewing restraints submitted in the RISC, the Special Education Advisers in BSE will continue to focus on LEA monitoring responsibilities as well as:

• Training of staff in de-escalation techniques,
• Excessive time of restraint,
• Excessive use of parent waivers,
• Mechanical restraints,
• Injuries,
• Number of restraints, and
• 10-day window (school days) to convene an IEP after a restraint occurs.

A RISC Reporting Webinar is posted on the RISC site at https://apps.leaderservices.com/_risc/index.aspx. The RISC Reporting Webinar link is located below the Login box of the Leader Services RISC sign-in page. This webinar explains the reporting process and how to use the RISC system. The webinar also shares how to update your LEA’s contact information. All parties involved with the RISC are highly encouraged to view this webinar to learn how to report restraints, how to use the system, and to understand the regulatory responsibility for the LEAs.

Additionally, BSE’s “Guidelines for De-escalation and the Use of/and Reporting of Restraints in Education Entities” document is available for review.

Questions regarding the RISC should be directed to either of the following special education advisers:  Keith Focht at 717.783.6921 or kfocht@pa.gov / Pat Haglund at 814.662.2662 or phaglund@pa.gov.