The Gazette

At a school board work session last week, the Cedar Rapids school district reported that the number of students restrained in response to aggressive behavior has dropped considerably. Between 2018 and 2021, restraints were used 4,145 times. From 2023 to 2026, restraints were used 734 times, including a low of 190 restraints in the 2025-26 school year. We’ve been critical of the district’s use of restraints and seclusion in multiple editorials, so the latest report showing the use of restraints declining is good news. Cedar Rapids did away with the use of seclusion in October 2022.

It was in September 2022 that the district reached a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, which concluded, after a lengthy investigation, that the use of restraints and seclusion discriminated against students with disabilities who were disproportionately subjected to these disciplinary actions. The department required Cedar Rapids to end the use of seclusion. The settlement also directed the district to limit the use of restraints, revise its procedures and practices, and implement them consistently in all schools.