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5144.1 Corporal Punishment and Emergency Interventions


Adoption Date: 06/11/1981 Revised: 10/18/2007, 02/17/2000  Reviewed: 09/29/2014 
5000 - Students

Welfare
5144.1 Corporal Punishment and Emergency Interventions

Corporal Punishment and Emergency Interventions

The Board of Education of the Lakeland Central School District prohibits the use of corporal punishment against a student by any teacher, administrator, officer, employee or agent of this School District.

As used in this policy, corporal punishment means any act of physical force upon a student for the purpose of punishing that student, except as otherwise provided herein.                                                            

For purposes of this policy, an emergency means a situation in which an immediate emergency intervention involving the use of reasonable physical force for one of the following purposes is necessary:

a.  To protect oneself from physical injury
b.  To protect another person from physical injury
c.  To protect the property of the school district or others
d.  To restrain or remove a student whose behavior is interfering with the orderly exercise an performance of school function, powers or duties, if the student has failed to comply with a request to refrain from further disruptive acts

Use of Emergency Interventions:

Emergency interventions shall be used only in situations in which alternative procedures and methods not involving the use of physical force cannot reasonably be employed. Emergency interventions shall not be used as a punishment or as a substitute for systematic behavioral interventions that are designed to change, replace, modify or eliminate a targeted behavior.

Staff Training: 

Staff persons who may be called upon to implement emergency interventions shall be provided with appropriate training in safe and effective restraint procedures.

Documentation and Parental Notice Required: 

Personnel involved in the use of emergency interventions shall be directed by their immediate supervisor to prepare a written report for each student upon whom emergency interventions are used. This report shall include the name and date of birth of the student; the setting and the location of the incident; the name of the staff or other persons involved; a description of the incident and the emergency intervention used, including duration; a statement as to whether the student has a current behavioral intervention plan; and details of any injuries sustained by the student or others, including staff, as a result of the incident. This written report shall be forwarded to the Superintendent of Schools and the school nurse or physician.   The parent of the student shall be notified of the emergency intervention by the Superintendent of Schools or his/her designee.

Reporting Requirements:

Whenever a school employee uses physical force against a student, the school employee shall report the incident to the building principal within the same school day. The building principal shall immediately investigate the incident and shall make a report to the Superintendent describing in detail the circumstances and the nature of the action taken, if any.

The Superintendent of Schools shall submit a written report semi-annually to the Commissioner of Education, with copies to the Board of Education, setting forth the substance of each complaint about the use of corporal punishment received by the School District during the reporting period, the results of each investigation, and the action, if any, taken by the School District in each case.

Policy References:
Rules of the Board of Regents §19.5, 8 NYCRR Section 100.2(l)(3)(I) 

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