Section 6: Crisis Prevention and De-Escalation

This section provides guidance on crisis de-escalation, state laws and requirements governing any use of restraint or isolation, prohibited practices and other safety considerations and requirements, and the use of restraint and isolation data to support staff as they work to eliminate or reduce these practices.

The reader who is interested in reducing restraint and eliminating isolation may wonder why this section of the manual was placed at the end. OSPI staff have consistently received feedback from the Reducing Restraint and Eliminating Isolation (RREI) demonstration schools and districts140  that the work of reducing restraint and eliminating isolation is nearly all prevention-based and involves investment in inclusive multitiered systems of support (MTSS) that include support for social, emotional, and behavioral health (SEBH). 

Effective schools and districts create systems, classrooms, and individual student support plans that center positive behavior support, student belonging, and a belief shared by administrators and staff that “all our students are all our students.”  Specific practices from RREI demonstration sites that address these areas are included throughout this manual to support school leaders in this important preventative and systems change work. 

Without addressing these areas in school and district systems, efforts to reduce restraint and eliminate isolation will likely be ineffective – regardless of how much time is spent improving crisis de-escalation responses. For guidance on creating those preventative systems, classrooms, and individual supports, refer to:

140 OSPI (2025). Reducing Restraint & Eliminating Isolation (RREI) project.