It is essential schools support positive, proactive environments rather than reactive and punitive atmospheres. Training in positive behavioral interventions and de-escalation techniques are crucial prior to the use of any crisis management technique. Therefore, all staff who may implement any crisis management techniques must complete regular de-escalation training. A list of staff members who completed the training and a description of the training must be on file at each school. Additionally, each incident of seclusion and/or physical restraint must be carefully documented and steps be taken to prevent the re-occurrence of future incidences.

Training for Positive Behavioral Interventions and De-escalation Techniques:

• Ongoing professional development opportunities are made available throughout the school year. Please refer to the Professional Development Portal for a complete list.


• Comprehensive Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) training is provided to site-based CPI teams. For more information contact your Special Education Specialist or Behavior Specialist.


• Additional site-based trainings are available in the areas of de-escalation strategies, positive behavior practices, active supervision, behavior change techniques, and effective classroom management.

In addition to training in de-escalation strategies, each incident involving the use of crisis management techniques must be carefully documented and steps taken to prevent the re-occurrence of future incidences. The following are guidelines and procedures to assist staff in documenting incidents involving the use of crisis management techniques.

Crisis Management Techniques are physical interventions used during a behavioral crisis when a student is likely to engage in immediate physical aggression, as indicated by overt signs of aggression or agitation, and physical intervention is necessary to maintain the safety of the student or others. Prior to using physical intervention, reasonable options and responses should be attempted to prevent or de-escalate the situation when circumstances allow. The em>CPI Decision Making Matrix* should be used as a reference to assist in determining the likelihood and severity of risk. Physical intervention should not be used solely because a student is speaking in loud tones, demonstrating verbal aggression, has engaged in physical aggression in the past, or makes threats without the present ability to carry out the physical threat.

Crisis Management Techniques

Crisis management techniques include CPI-trained personal safety and disengagement techniques, such as blocking or safely disengaging from a grab, and approved physical restraint techniques. Physical restraint or seclusion may be used only when a student’s behavior presents an immediate threat of serious physical harm to the student or others and must end as soon as the threat has passed.

Seclusion is the involuntary confinement of a student alone in a room or area from which the student is physically prevented from leaving. It does not include an approved, monitored timeout in a non-locked setting used for calming. GCSD strongly discourages the use of seclusion and emphasizes prevention, de-escalation, positive behavioral interventions, and other appropriate supports.

Physical restraint and seclusion must never:

• Be used as punishment, discipline, coercion, retaliation, convenience, or to force compliance;
• Substitute for appropriate educational, behavioral, or disability-related supports;
• Be used solely in response to verbal behavior, profanity, threats without an immediate ability to cause serious physical harm, noncompliance, disrespect, or minor property destruction;
• Be implemented in a manner that restricts breathing, places pressure on the neck or airway, or creates an unreasonable risk of injury, including prohibited floor restraint techniques;
• Be implemented by untrained personnel except when immediate action is necessary to protect a student or another person from serious physical harm; or
• Be used solely to prevent a student from leaving an area unless the student’s actions present an immediate threat of serious physical harm.

School Crisis Response Teams

Crisis Management: Physical Restraint and Seclusion

Greenville County Schools (GCSD) emphasizes prevention, positive behavioral interventions and supports, and de-escalation to reduce and, whenever possible, eliminate the need for physical restraint or seclusion. Crisis management procedures are emergency safety interventions and are not behavioral or instructional interventions.

Physical restraint is a personal restriction that immobilizes or reduces a student's ability to move the torso, arms, legs, or head freely. For purposes of these procedures, physical restraint refers only to district-approved holding techniques taught through Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) training. CPI-trained personal safety and disengagement techniques, such as blocking or safely disengaging from a grab, are not considered physical restraint when they do not immobilize or restrict the student's movement.

Seclusion is the involuntary confinement of a student alone in a room or area from which the student is physically prevented from leaving. Seclusion does not include an approved, monitored timeout in a non-locked setting used for calming. GCSD strongly discourages the use of seclusion.

Physical restraint or seclusion may be used only when a student's behavior presents an immediate threat of serious physical harm to the student or others, the student has the ability to cause such harm, and reasonable, less restrictive interventions are ineffective or cannot be safely implemented. The CPI Decision Making Matrix* should guide staff in assessing the likelihood and severity of risk. The intervention must end as soon as the immediate threat of serious physical harm has passed.

Physical restraint and seclusion must never:

• be used as punishment, discipline, retaliation, coercion, convenience, to force compliance, or solely to manage behavior;
• substitute for appropriate educational, behavioral, disability-related, or positive behavioral supports;
• be used solely in response to profanity, verbal threats or outbursts, noncompliance, disrespect, minor property destruction, or other behavior that does not present an immediate threat of serious physical harm;
• be used solely because a student is running from or leaving an area unless the student's actions present an immediate threat of serious physical harm;
• involve pain, humiliation, disrespect, or any intervention that restricts breathing or places the student at unreasonable risk of injury; or
• include restraint on the floor, whether face-up or face-down, due to the increased risk of positional asphyxia, injury, or death.

Only currently CPI-certified staff are authorized to implement district-approved physical restraint techniques. This does not prevent other staff from taking reasonable emergency action necessary to protect themselves, another person, or the student from an immediate threat of serious physical harm. A team approach must be used whenever possible, with more than one staff member present to assist, observe, and monitor the student's physical and emotional condition. The degree of force used must never exceed what is necessary to maintain safety.

Each school must maintain a crisis response team that includes at least one administrator, all EDSC and ID Moderate teachers and paraprofessionals, and other special education staff identified by administration. Staff who are required team members but are unable to participate in physical restraint may assist with de-escalation, communication, observation, documentation, and other aspects of crisis response. A current list of CPI-certified staff and certifications must be maintained at the school.

CPI-trained staff should review and practice approved skills and de-escalation models at least regularly, including the Verbal Escalation Continuum and CPI Decision Making Matrix*.

During an Emergency Intervention

Staff must use only district-approved CPI techniques and continually assess whether the intervention remains necessary. An administrator or designee and needed crisis response team members should be contacted immediately. The environment should be cleared of people, furniture, or materials when necessary for safety.

Throughout the intervention, staff must continually monitor the student for signs of distress and tension reduction, monitor participating staff, communicate relevant safety information, use de-escalation strategies when appropriate, and identify the earliest safe opportunity to discontinue the intervention and re-establish therapeutic rapport.

When seclusion is used, an administrator or designee must authorize its use. A trained staff member must continuously observe and supervise the student. A student may never be left alone without observation, and a door may never be locked. Staff must be prepared to intervene immediately if the student exhibits signs of physical or emotional distress. Students must be treated with dignity and provided reasonable access to water and restroom facilities.

Students engaging in self-injurious behavior should not be placed in seclusion. When it can be done safely, items that present an identifiable safety hazard should be removed. Seclusion must end as soon as the immediate threat of serious physical harm has passed and should not exceed 20 consecutive minutes. If circumstances require continued emergency intervention beyond 20 minutes, the administrator must be consulted and staff must continue to assess whether the intervention remains necessary.

Following Physical Restraint or Seclusion

Staff must re-establish therapeutic rapport with the student using CPI principles and the Coping Model*. A member of the school nursing staff will conduct a well-body check to assess for possible injury.

An administrator or designee must notify the student's parent/guardian as soon as reasonably possible on the day of the incident. All attempts at notification must be documented.

A staff debriefing must occur the day of the incident or no later than 24 hours or one school day following the incident. The debriefing must include staff involved in the incident, an administrator, and at least one staff member knowledgeable about behavioral interventions who was not directly involved. Staff should review:

• the events and behavior preceding, during, and following the incident;
• de-escalation, positive behavioral supports, and other interventions attempted;
• whether the physical restraint or seclusion was consistent with these procedures and CPI protocols;
• how the need for emergency intervention could be prevented or reduced in the future; and
• whether additional support, an FBA, BIP, IEP/Section 504 review, reevaluation, or other team action should be considered, particularly following repeated use of restraint or seclusion.

The Coping Model* should be used to support the debriefing process.

Each incident must be documented using the Crisis Management Techniques Documentation form. Documentation must include the date and times, location, staff present and involved, intervention used, behavior and circumstances leading to the intervention, observations during the intervention, when and why the intervention ended, the student's condition following the intervention, parent/guardian notification, and debriefing information.

Within 24 hours or one school day, copies of the completed documentation must be provided to:

1. Parent(s)/guardian(s);
2. Administration; and
3. Special Education Specialist (SES).

A copy must be maintained in a secure location at the school and made available to the parent/guardian upon request.

Repeated restraint or seclusion, multiple incidents involving the same student, or other patterns of emergency intervention must prompt review of the student's needs and existing prevention and behavioral supports. For a student with a disability, the IEP team should determine whether evaluation, reevaluation, an FBA/BIP, or changes to services, goals, accommodations, supports, or placement should be considered. An IEP Special Review should be convened as soon as appropriate when potential changes to the student's IEP are being considered.