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Virginia Administrative Code
Title 8. Education
Agency 20. State Board of Education
Chapter 750. Regulations Governing the Use of Seclusion and Restraint in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools in Virginia
12/21/2024

8VAC20-750-40. Use of physical restraint and seclusion.

A. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to require a school division to employ physical restraint or seclusion in its schools. School divisions electing to use physical restraint and seclusion shall comply with the requirements of this chapter.

B. School personnel may implement physical restraint or seclusion only when other interventions are or would be, in the reasonable judgment of the particular school personnel implementing physical restraint or seclusion in an emergency situation, ineffective and only to:

1. Prevent a student from inflicting serious physical harm or injury to self or others;

2. Quell a disturbance or remove a student from the scene of a disturbance in which such student's behavior or damage to property threatens serious physical harm or injury to persons;

3. Defend self or others from serious physical harm or injury;

4. Obtain possession of controlled substances or paraphernalia that are upon the person of the student or within the student's control; or

5. Obtain possession of weapons or other dangerous objects that are upon the person of the student or within the student's control.

C. Physical restraint and seclusion shall be discontinued as soon as the imminent risk of serious physical harm or injury to self or others presented by the emergency situation has dissipated.

D. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require school personnel to attempt to implement a less restrictive intervention prior to using physical restraint or seclusion when, in the reasonable judgment of the school personnel in an emergency situation, a less restrictive intervention would be ineffective.

E. Unless a student's damage to property creates an imminent risk of serious physical harm or injury to the student or others, the damage of property does not itself indicate an imminent risk of serious physical harm or injury and shall not be the justification for the restraint or seclusion of a student.

F. Any incident involving physical restraint or seclusion in any of the circumstances described in this section shall be subject to the requirements of 8VAC20-750-50 through 8VAC20-750-100.

Statutory Authority

§ 22.1-16 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 36, Issue 24, eff. January 1, 2021.

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