Summary: 

Effective: September 11, 2020 

Last Updated: December, 2024

Beginning in June of 2020, all schools in the state of Oklahoma are directed to follow new guidelines regarding the use of restraint. Below is a summary of these requirements and information on how Safety-Care training can be utilized to ensure student and staff safety.

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: 

(c) Student restraint. Chemical restraint and/or mechanical restraint of a student is prohibited in Oklahoma public schools. Physical restraint of a student should never be used for the purposes of discipline, punishment, forcing compliance, or as a convenience to staff. In cases where a student has a history of dangerous behavior for which physical restraint was used or considered, the school should have a plan in place for teaching and supporting more appropriate behavior and determining positive methods to prevent behavioral escalations that have previously resulted in the use or consideration of restraint. Physical restraint may only be used under emergency circumstances as outlined below.  

How Safety-Care aligns: Safety-Care can be a vital part of any developed workplace violence prevention plan. Safety-Care is uniquely designed to provide trainees with the skills to assess potential crises, how de-escalate these situations, and how to respond if the situation is elevated. Our trainings are trauma-informed and focus on modifying behavior to prevent dangerous outcomes. Safety-Care is focused on encouraging positive behavior prior to the use of any other intervention strategy. Our approach stems from the use of Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) that can prevent and manage challenge behavior. Safety-Care as a training program can be tailored to meet the needs of multiply organizations and professions. All Safety-Care offerings are trauma-informed and utilize PBIS and ABA to ensure that all trainees are equipped with the appropriate responses to challenging behaviors. Additionally, add-on trainings can be provided for unique situations to your facility.     

1. The student’s actions pose an imminent danger of serious physical harm to the student or other individuals, and not merely a threat to property;  
2. Positive behavior intervention strategies and less restrictive measures appropriate to the behavior exhibited by the student are currently being implemented, but have not effectively de-escalated the threat of danger or harm;  
   
3. The physical restraint is applied by school personnel who have completed appropriate training that addresses conflict de-escalation, the crisis cycle and associated interventions, CPR and First Aid (including certifications), possible effects of physical restraint, and monitoring the wellbeing of a restrained student; and  
4. The physical restraint lasts only as long as necessary to resolve the threat of danger or harm. 

1. Under no circumstances may a student be restrained using a prone (facedown) restraint, any restraint that prevents the student from breathing or speaking, or any maneuver that places pressure or weight on the chest, sternum, lungs, diaphragm, neck, throat, or back;  
2. The degree of restriction of the student’s freedom of movement may not exceed what is necessary to protect the student or other individuals from the threat of serious physical harm; and  
3. The restraint of the student is continuously witnessed by at least one school employee who is not involved in the physical restraint.
   
   How Safety-Care aligns: Safety-Care promotes the use of de-escalation prior to the use of any physical management. Physical management techniques are designed to ensure the safety of all participants and are only to be used until the situation has de-escalated. Safety-Care can be designed and taught to match local requirements regarding restraint but always focuses on the least restrictive and safest methods. All physical management techniques are role-played by trainees to ensure that they fully grasp the need for minimum restriction and full safety of all participants. Our Master Trainers verify each trainees use of these techniques in role-play, further ensuring their safe use. Each trainee must prove mastery of proper technique use before they can be certified in Safety-Care. Safety-Care prohibits the use of chemical restraints.