教师工作中令人畏惧的一部分：约束和隔离学生

教师工作中令人畏惧的一部分：约束和隔离学生

Earlier this year, an NPR investigation with WAMU and Oregon Public Broadcasting found deep problems in how school districts report restraint and seclusion. Following that investigation, NPR reached out to educators about their experiences with these practices.

今年早些时候，美国国家公共电台与华盛顿互助大学和俄勒冈公共广播公司联合进行的一项调查发现，学区在报告约束与隔离（学生）方面存在深层次的问题。在那次调查之后，美国国家公共电台联系了教育工作者，询问他们在这些实践中的经验。

Brent McGinn spent a year early in his career working with students who could sometimes hurt themselves.

布伦特·麦克金在他职业生涯的早期花了一年时间与那些有时会伤害到自己的学生打交道。

The special education teacher recalls a student who would sometimes hit his head on the tile floor, full force. When that happened, McGinn faced a tough decision. "If I put a pad between that kid and the tile, it's going to soften it, but it's not going to stop him from full-force hitting his head into something," he says. "Whereas restraint would."

这位特殊教育老师回忆说，有个学生有时会用头狠狠地撞到瓷砖地板上。当这种情况发生时，麦克金面临着一个艰难的决定。他说:“如果我在孩子和瓷砖之间放一块垫子，它就不会那么硬了，但不会阻止他狠狠地撞到一些东西上。”“而约束会阻止它。”

Restraint and seclusion in schools can mean anything from holding or using restraints on a student to isolating them in a separate room or space. According to federal guidance, these methods are meant to be a last resort, when students are believed to be a danger to themselves or others. These practices are most often used on students with disabilities or special needs.

学校里的约束和隔离可以指任何事情，从控制或对学生进行约束到把他们隔离在一个单独的房间或空间。根据联邦政府的指导，当学生被认为对自己或他人构成危险时，这些方法是最后的手段。这些做法最常用于残疾学生或有特殊需要的学生。

In situations where students or staff are in danger, McGinn says, "restraints and seclusion can be a useful tool to keep people safe."

在学生或工作人员处于危险的情况下，麦克金说，“约束和隔离可能是保护人们安全的有用工具。”

But that can leave educators in a tough spot. Many told NPR that using restraint and seclusion is one of the worst parts of their job; they say these methods can be mentally and physically painful for both them and their students.

但这可能会让教育工作者陷入困境。许多人告诉美国国家公共电台，（对学生进行）约束和隔离是他们工作中最糟糕的部分之一;他们说这些方法对他们和他们的学生来说都是精神上和身体上的痛苦。

"I would lock myself in the bathroom at work and cry, and I know that I wasn't the only one," says D, who spent a year working as a teaching assistant at a private school for students with autism. (D uses they/them pronouns. We aren't using their full name, or identifying where they worked, because they fear retaliation from their former employer.)

“我工作的时候会把自己锁在厕所里哭泣，我知道我不是唯一一个这样做的人，”D说，他在一所私立学校做了一年的助教，专门为自闭症学生服务。(D用来代替他们。我们没有透露他们的全名，也没有透露他们在哪里工作，因为他们担心遭到前雇主的报复。)

Parents with children who have been secluded or restrained have said the experience was traumatic. But that isn't always the case — one Oregon elementary schooler said he once had an aide whose restraint techniques helped him calm down.

有孩子被隔离或约束的父母说，这种经历是创伤性的。但情况并非总是如此——俄勒冈州一名小学生说，他曾经有一位助手，他的约束方法能帮助他冷静下来。

Still, a 2009 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, a federal watchdog, found hundreds of cases of alleged abuse and even death when restraint and seclusion were used on school children.

尽管如此，联邦监管机构美国政府问责局在2009年发布的一份报告中发现，在对在校儿童实施约束和隔离时，存在数百起虐待甚至死亡的指控。

Many states prohibit the use of seclusion or restraint as punishment or discipline. And though there are federal guidelines around the use of these methods in schools, there are no federal laws. Past efforts to restrict the use of restraints and ban the use of seclusion nationwide have failed in Congress.

许多州禁止使用隔离或约束作为惩罚或训导。尽管在学校使用这些方法有联邦指导方针，但没有联邦法律。过去国会在全国范围内限制使用约束措施和禁止使用隔离措施的努力失败了。

The definitions vary in different states and school districts, as do the rules around how educators can use these methods. In Massachusetts, for example, prone restraint — holding a student face-down on the ground — is only allowed in very specific situations. Other states ban the practice altogether. Arkansas puts limits on the size of seclusion rooms, while Oklahoma advises, but does not require, that students be permitted bathroom breaks and water during seclusion.

不同的州和学区对这些方法的定义不同，教育工作者使用这些方法的规则也不同。例如，在马萨诸塞州，俯卧撑——让学生脸朝下趴在地上——只有在非常特殊的情况下才允许。其他州则完全禁止这种做法。阿肯色州对隔离室的大小有限制，而俄克拉荷马州建议，但不要求，学生在隔离期间可以上厕所和喝水。

Some states also rely on a student's past behavior to determine the practices they use. Records like individualized education programs (IEPs) and behavior intervention plans (BIPs) sometimes spell out if and when restraint or seclusion may be used on a particular child.

一些州还依赖学生过去的行为来决定他们使用的做法。诸如个性化教育项目和行为干预计划等记录有时会详细说明是否以及何时可以对特定的儿童使用约束或隔离措施。

"I just never felt fully comfortable or prepared"

“我只是从来没有感到完全的舒适和有准备”

D says they avoided restraining students as much as possible, though other educators in their school did regularly use restraint.

D说他们尽量避免约束学生，尽管他们学校的其他教育工作者经常约束学生。

"Even though I received the training for [restraint], I just never felt fully comfortable or prepared to do that," they tell NPR. They say restraint crossed a physical boundary that they weren't comfortable with. "It just seems strange to be so imposing on somebody else's body."

他们告诉美国国家公共电台(NPR):“尽管我接受了（如何）约束（学生）的训练，但我从来没有感到完全舒服，也没有为此做好准备。”他们说，约束跨越了他们感到不舒服的物理边界。“对别人的身体施加这么大的压力，这似乎很奇怪。”

Ben Travis, a social and emotional learning specialist in Fort Worth, Texas, says, "There's a tension within me of knowing that if I am to restrain a student, then I'm essentially putting forth a situation that's going to create trauma for that student." He says the decision to restrain students is not always as clear-cut as some training or school officials make it out to be.

德克萨斯州沃斯堡的社会和情感学习专家本·特拉维斯说，“我内心有一种紧张感，因为我知道，如果我要约束一个学生，那么我实际上是在制造一个会给那个学生造成创伤的情况。”他说，约束学生的决定并不总是像一些培训或学校官员所说的那样明确。

Travis says he also doesn't believe in leaving students in isolation for extended periods of time — he says he doesn't see it as an effective tool and he doesn't want to create, or recreate, trauma for them.

特拉维斯说，他也不赞成让学生长时间处于孤立状态。他说，他不认为这是一种有效的工具，他不想给他们制造或再制造创伤。

"I haven't seen that create good results," he says, either in student behavior or their relationships with educators.

他说:“我还没有看到这能产生好的结果。”无论是在学生行为方面，还是在他们与教育工作者的关系方面。

Educators tell NPR that restraint and seclusion can take a physical and emotional toll on them.

教育工作者告诉美国国家公共电台(NPR)，越是和隔离可能会对他们的身心造成伤害。

"I've been punched in the face more times than I could remember. I've been hit in the head with chairs."

“我的脸被打了很多次，我都记不清楚了。我的头被椅子砸了。”

Many educators say their restraint and seclusion training — which is often provided by schools — focuses on de-escalation, in order to avoid situations where someone could get hurt.

许多教育工作者表示，他们的约束和隔离训练——通常由学校提供——侧重于减少冲突，以避免出现有人可能受伤的情况。

Most of the teachers who spoke to NPR say they tried to note every instance of seclusion and restraint through official school channels. They say the documentation protected them from possible lawsuits or other misunderstandings, and it helped them keep track of student behavior so they could learn what did and didn't work.

大多数接受美国国家公共电台采访的教师表示，他们试图通过学校官方渠道记录下每一个隔离和约束（学生）的事例。他们说，这些文件保护他们免受可能的诉讼或其他误解，并帮助他们跟踪学生的行为，以便他们可以了解什么是有效的，什么是无效的。