Physical Contact with Children & Mandatory Reporting Policy

Urban Teachers participants should never restrain children without prior explicit written parental permission and never without having received all district- and state-mandated training. Any violation of this requirement will render a participant subject to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from the Urban Teachers program.

Our special education coursework does not address this topic beyond an "Urban Teachers participants do not restrain children" statement. The Urban Teachers and the Johns Hopkins master’s program that covers general special education EC-12 coursework and related teaching credential areas does not prepare individuals for the restraint of a child, as indicated in an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), without further specific, state-mandated training.

Nevertheless, everyone who works with children is a mandated reporter. Urban Teachers participants are ALL mandated reporters, as are our Urban Teachers coaches and other staff who enter school buildings regularly.

Further, we recommend that participants become familiar with additional resources regarding the issues of child physical and sexual abuse, time out/seclusion, positive behavior support (PBS), and child protection and advocacy at: http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/abuse.index.htm

RESIDENTS AND FELLOWS IN BALTIMORE CITY should refer to the Baltimore City Special Education Compliance Manual for official language from Baltimore City Regarding parental notification procedures should a student with a disability need to be removed from his/her current placement due to a violation of a code of student conduct, as described in COMAR 13A.08.04.04.

RESIDENT AND FELLOWS IN WASHINGTON, DC should refer to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) for District of Columbia municipal regulations regarding the prohibition of mechanical restraints for any DC student. These regulations are set forth in Section 5-A2817 and apply to all DC Special Education programs funded by OSSE.

RESIDENTS AND FELLOWS IN DALLAS, TX should refer to the Texas Education Agency website regarding Discipline and School Removal for official policy regarding school removals, time-out and restraint, and discipline policies in Texas Administrative Code §89.1053 and Texas education Code §37.0021.