Reducing Restraint & Eliminating Isolation (RREI) Project

During the 2023 session, the Washington State Legislature proposed House Bill 1479, a measure that would prohibit isolation and significantly restrict restraints in public schools. Because the bill did not pass, OSPI received designated state funding to provide statewide professional development and create demonstration projects in support of school and district efforts to eliminate isolation and reduce restraints. This project is funded from July 2023 – June 2025. 

Demonstration Projects 

Demonstration projects incorporate “pilot site” districts that showcase the process of building systems of support to reduce restraint and eliminate isolation, and “demonstration site” districts that highlight exemplary practices within these systems. 

Pilot Sites 

Pilot sites receive funding to engage in targeted professional development, visit demonstration sites, and support district-level systems designed to reduce restraint and eliminate isolation.

List of Pilot Districts 

Map of all demonstration and pilot sites

• Anacortes 
• Bremerton 
• Castle Rock 
• Central Valley 
• Concrete 
• Davenport 
• Edmonds 
• Everett 
• Fife 
• Kelso 
• Lakewood 
• North Thurston 
• Pullman 
• Rochester 
• Snoqualmie Valley 
• Vancouver 

Demonstration Sites 

Demonstration sites are districts partnering with the Inclusionary Practices Technical Assistance Network (IPTN) at the University of Washington to share their successes in reducing restraint and eliminating isolation, as well as to receive targeted supports for individualized school needs. They will host visitors from around the state to aid other schools and districts in this work. 

Check back for information on how you, your school, or your district can visit one of these sites. 

Cohort 1 – opening for visitors Late Summer 2024: 

• Auburn School District 
• Bainbridge Island School District 
• Centralia School District 
• Spokane Public Schools 

Cohort 2 – opening for visitors Winter 2025: 

• Gatewood Elementary School (Seattle Public Schools) 
• Mukilteo School District 

Demonstration Sites Application

The application is now closed. Thank you to the districts that applied. We are reviewing the applications and will contact the districts before the end of January. 

In collaboration with the Haring Center for Inclusive Education at the University of Washington, OSPI is partnering with school districts across the state to create demonstration sites highlighting best practices to reduce the use of restraint and eliminate the use of isolation. These schools will participate in transformational professional development and, in turn, provide learning experiences that inspire continuous improvement, with the goal of creating learning communities to be used as sites for research and professional development and model demonstration sites for best practices in positive behavior support. These schools will serve as exemplars that show the benefits of reducing restraint and eliminating isolation on student outcomes. Districts/programs that apply are committed to: 

• Collaborate with OSPI and partners to implement practices and schoolwide support systems that aim to eliminate isolation and reduce restraint use. The schoolwide systems must include trauma-informed positive behavior and intervention supports, de-escalation, and problem-solving skills. 

• Continuously partner with OSPI and external partners to highlight the systems and processes that have contributed to the elimination of student isolation and reduction of restraint use in the school/district.

• Engage in professional learning activities to support the building of school-level and district-level systems that eliminate student isolation, track, and reduce restraint use, and build schoolwide systems to support students in distress and prevent crisis escalation cycles that may result in restraint or isolation. 

• Provide student-level data, program information, project feedback, and reflections to OSPI as needed. 

Professional Development 

OSPI issued Request for Proposals No. 2024–12 on March 15, 2024, soliciting proposals from consultants interested in participating in the RREI project as providers of professional development. Successful bidders will provide training to Pilot Sites and collaborate with OSPI to guide recommendations for statewide professional development needs.  

In addition, free public professional development opportunities are posted on the Restraint and Isolation page. 

Professional Development Providers

• American Institutes for Research 
• And Still We Rise 
• Character Strong 
• Crisis Prevention Institute 
• NWESD (ESD 189) 
• QBS, provider of Safety-Care 
• Sound Supports 
• True Measure Collaborative 
• TurnerDEV, provider of Supported School 
• University of Washington Haring Center 

Target Audiences

This project aims to support districts in building comprehensive systems to support students in distress and mitigate crisis escalation cycles that can result in restraint or isolation. As such, training is targeted at the following audiences: 

• Classroom teachers (general and special education) 
• District leaders (e.g. superintendents) 
• Instructional education support personnel (e.g. paraeducators) 
• Parents, families, guardians, and caregivers 
• School leaders (e.g. principals) 
• School support staff (e.g. transportation, security) 
• School board members