PA - my son was put in a restraint (it was a safety escort) by two staff at school. I had a meeting with the IEP team to debrief and I was told that the protocol was followed. I had no concerns at the time.

I found out later that the one staff involved was not trained in the procedure and was fired. Was the school not required to disclose that to me?

Yes, you absolutely should have been informed—especially since restraint or a “safety escort” was used and a staff member involved was untrained.

Here is the statute: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/education/resources/policies-acts-and-laws/basic-education-circulars-becs/pa-code/use-of-restraints-for-students-with-disabilities.html

While they may not be legally required to tell you someone was fired (since that’s a personnel matter), the fact that an untrained person participated in a physical restraint or escort should have been disclosed—because that’s not just an HR issue, that’s a violation of procedure and could pose a safety risk to your child.

I'd suggest putting your concerns in writing and asking the school to:

• Clarify who is trained and certified in crisis intervention or restraint protocols;

• Explain how an untrained person was allowed to participate;

• Detail what corrective actions have been taken to prevent this in the future.

You can also file a state complaint with the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Bureau of Special Education, especially if they failed to follow state guidelines on restraint reporting.