Lacey Teachers to Receive Training for New Physical Restraint Policy

The Lacey Township School District has adopted a physical restraint policy that will allow trained teachers to use force against a student when “reasonable and necessary.”

Strauss Esmay Associates, a company that develops policies for more than 200 New Jersey school districts, issued a policy alert indicating that Lacey needed the state-mandated regulation, Board of Education President Jack Martenak said.

“On occasion, during an emergency, a situation may arise making it necessary to temporarily restrain a pupil,” the policy states. “An emergency is defined as a situation in which the pupil’s behavior poses a threat of imminent, serious physical harm to the pupil or others or imminent, serious property destruction.”

Force can be used to “quell a disturbance” that is threatening to others, to obtain possession of a weapon or other dangerous objects, for self-defense or for the protection of persons or property, the policy says.

Physical restraint includes holding a person or restricting his or her movements but such actions can only be used by trained employees and should only be used when other means of intervention were unsuccessful.

“A group of teachers will be trained,” Martenak said. “Primarily teachers dealing with at-risk students.”

Another group of teachers will be trained so there is additional help when necessary, he said. An employee from student services will get the training and then train staff.

Costs associated with training are currently unknown, Martenak said. But it could cost the district for the initial training of one person.

Superintendent Dr. Sandra Brower said in-house training would be used whenever possible but did not comment on implementation and cost.

“We don’t have all the details yet,” Martenak said. “We need to plan.”

The school district is aiming to implement the policy, which was adopted in February, by September.