DOJ reports ‘noticeable improvement’ in Cedar Rapids schools’ use of restraint

CEDAR RAPIDS — There is a “noticeable improvement“ in Cedar Rapids educators’ and staff members’ understanding of behavior-focused language, problem solving, de-escalation and reporting incidents of restraint, according to feedback from the U.S. Department of Justice.

There were more than 300 physical restraints of students in the Cedar Rapids Community School District during the 2024-25 school year — an increase from around 200 the year prior.

The school district has been working to improve its practices after signing a settlement agreement in September 2022 with the U.S. Department of Justice, which required the district to end the use of student seclusion in all school buildings and programs. Seclusion rooms are used in many school districts as a last resort if students are at risk of harming themselves or others.

The Justice Department has set a target date for the agreement to expire June 30, 2026, when the district would have the practices in place.

“There was a lot of fear around this agreement in our district,” said Ryals Parker, executive director of behavior supports for the district. “We wanted to drive out fear associated with this and make sure everything was being recorded, so that we could really get into buildings and support our staff and students. We believe strongly that is a big reason for our increase (in restraints) this fall.”

“You can see the dramatic drop off we experienced as the year went on and we were able to … really put measures in place that support students who need additional support,” Parker said during a presentation to the Cedar Rapids school board last week.

Representatives with the Department of Justice visited six schools in the Cedar Rapids district this spring. Those schools were Polk Alternative Education Center, Van Buren, Cleveland, Kenwood and Cedar River Academy elementary schools and Washington High School.

Parker said their feedback was positive, and they noted the district has shifted to best practices in supporting students beyond compliance with the agreement.

Additional goals for the district include reducing student suspensions, reducing the percentage of students requiring more restrictive programming and reducing the identification rate for special education behavior goals, Parker said.

Kindergarten had the highest number of restraints

During the 2024-25 school year, the district reported 318 restraints. The grade level with the largest number of restraints was kindergarten with 65.

School officials say the transition to kindergarten is a huge transition time for children, especially those who did not attend preschool.

First through fifth grade had on average 29 restraints. Ninth grade also had a higher number of restraints at 29.

Schools with 30 or more restraints during the school year are Cleveland, Johnson and Pierce elementary schools and Washington High School.

Schools with between 15-22 restraints are Nixon, Maple Grove, Cedar River Academy elementary schools, Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy — a middle school in the district — and Jefferson High School.

Other schools had nine or fewer restraints during the year.

Physical restraint can be used only when students are engaging in behavior that presents an immediate and imminent risk of injury to themselves or others, according to district policy.

District will spend $3.5M on student safety and well-being

Earlier this year, the district announced a $3.5 million investment into student safety and well-being meant to better support kids with behavior needs from kindergarten on up.

An increase in paraeducator hours will provide more support to kindergarten classrooms — the grade with the highest number of major office referrals this school year in the district, Parker told The Gazette in May.

Adding 29 social emotional behavioral health intervention specialists to district schools is meant to provide more support to students with significant learning or behavioral challenges.

The intervention specialists will focus on the needs of students in Tier 3 in a three-level system of instruction designed to meet the diverse needs of students. Tier 1 provides universal support to all students and Tier 2 offers targeted intervention for students who need additional help.

An investigation into the use of physical restraint and seclusion in Cedar Rapids schools by the Justice Department began in October 2020. The investigation concluded that instead of meeting the needs of students with disabilities that affect their behavior, the district subdued them through unnecessary restraints and improper confinement in small seclusion rooms, sometimes multiple times in a day and often for excessive periods. As a result, some students lost hundreds of hours of instructional time.

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