Summary: 

Effective: June 24, 2021 

The State of Missouri passed House Bill 432 in 2021. This legislation set new guidelines on the use of restraints when working with students in schools. Below is a summary of the effects of HB 432 as well as information on how Safety-Care can be used to help ensure the safety of staff and students.

How Safety-Care aligns: Numerous education organizations throughout the United States and Canada rely upon QBS and our Safety-Care training to provide their staff members with the training they need to help maintain a safe and healthy environment. Safety-Care provides a comprehensive, supportive approach to incident prevention, de-escalation, and management. Your Staff will learn practical strategies for helping students that use evidence-based practices consistent with PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) and ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis).  

Safety-Care can meet the requirements of Departmental Requirements in the following ways: 

3. For all school years beginning on or after July 1, 2022, no school district, charter school, or publicly contracted private provider shall use any mechanical, physical, or prone restraint technique that:  

(1) Obstructs views of the student’s face;  
(2) Obstructs the student’s respiratory airway, impairs the student’s breathing or respiratory capacity, or restricts the movement required for normal breathing to cause positional or postural asphyxia;  
(3) Places pressure or weight on or causes the compression of the student’s chest, lungs, sternum, diaphragm, back, abdomen, or genitals;  
(4) Obstructs the student’s circulation of blood;  
(5) Involves pushing on or into the student’s mouth, nose, eyes, or any part of the face or involves covering the face or body with anything including, but not limited to, soft objects such as pillows, blankets, or washcloths;  
(6) Endangers the student’s life or significantly exacerbates the student’s medical condition;  
(7) Is purposely designed to inflict pain;  
(8) Restricts the student from communicating. If an employee physically restrains a student who uses sign language or an augmentative mode of communication as the student’s primary mode of communication, the student shall be permitted to have the student’s hands free of restraint for brief periods unless an employee determines that such freedom appears likely to result in harm to self or others.  

5. Before July 1, 2022, each school district, charter school, and publicly contracted private provider shall ensure that their written policy that addresses the use of restrictive behavioral interventions requires the following:  

(1) Any student placed in seclusion or restraint shall be removed from such seclusion or restraint as soon as the school district, charter school, or publicly contracted private provider determines that the student is no longer an imminent danger of physical harm to self or others;  

(2) All school district, charter school, and publicly contracted private provider personnel shall annually review the policy and procedures involving the use of seclusion and restraint. Personnel who use seclusion or restraint shall annually complete mandatory training in the specific seclusion and restraint techniques the school district, charter school, or publicly contracted private provider uses under this section;  

(3) (a) Each time seclusion or restraint is used for a student, the incident shall be monitored by a member of the school district, charter school, or publicly contracted private provider personnel, and a report shall be completed by the school district, charter school, or publicly contracted private provider.