Click here to file a witness slip as an OPPONENT online ASAP.

Students are at risk.

Illinois lawmakers are considering Senate Bill 1943, Senate Amendment 1—a bill that would roll back critical protections and allow schools to use dangerous and inhumane restraint and seclusion practices that cause emotional trauma, physical injury, and even death.

Investigative reporting by the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica exposed widespread abuse of physical restraint and seclusion (called “time out”) in Illinois schools. In response, a 2021 law required schools to take action to reduce their heavy reliance on restraint and seclusion over time. But a shocking 2023 report from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) revealed that the problem has only gotten worse. ISBE’s own data shows:

• Restraint and seclusion incidents increased, not decreased.
• Young children (grades K-3), students of color, and students with disabilities—especially those with autism, intellectual disabilities, and emotional disabilities—are most affected.
• The use of supine restraint (forcing a child face-up on the ground), one of the most dangerous forms of restraint, has risen significantly.

Senate Bill 1943, Senate Amendment 1 rolls back the protections that do exist for students. The bill would:

• Allow students to be secluded in locked rooms again.
• Rewrite definitions of physical restraint and time out to hide how often these practices are used.
• Limit investigations into complaints and remove options for parents to resolve disputes when students are harmed by these practices.
• Lower training requirements for school staff—even as dangerous incidents continue to rise.

Not only is this bill a step in the wrong direction, it is unnecessary and backed by organizations that represent school systems that opposed the law in 2021. The problems that Senate Bill 1943, Senate Amendment 1 claims to fix have already been addressed and ISBE has issued clarification.  See https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Weekly-Message-Display-Form-V5.aspx?ItemId=445. This bill attempts to dramatically reduce the number of incidents reported by narrowly redefining what constitutes restraint and seclusion. This puts students at risk of harm.

Take Action NOW! The Senate Education Committee will hear Senate Bill 1943, Amendment 1 on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, at 2:00 p.m.

Tell legislators you are against this bill by submitting an electronic witness slip as an OPPONENT before the hearing.

Click here to file a witness slip online. It only takes a few minutes.

For questions, contact Cheryl Jansen, Public Policy Director, Equip for Equality, at cherylj2@equipforequality.org or 217-303-8543.