U.S. Department of Education Completes Seclusion and Restrain Compliance Review of Saco, Maine, Public Schools
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights resolved a compliance review of Saco, Maine, public schools. The review was part of a 24-district series initiated in January 2019 that revealed significant concerns related to seclusion and restrain practices.
Since then, the district has entered into a voluntary agreement to ensure students with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
As part of the agreement, the district has committed to several actions, including providing adequate training to school staff and administrators, reducing the involvement of school resource officers in student behavior incidents, and revising policy regarding non-disciplinary behavior-related dismissals. The district is also required to report accurate data to the Department of Education as part of the Civil Rights Data Collection.