Federal Agency Reviews Restraint, Seclusion at Fargo Schools

FARGO, N.D. – Federal officials are reviewing the Fargo Public School District’s use of seclusion and restraint on children with disabilities.

The district must provide two years of data on its practices by Friday, and the agency review could take up to a year.

The Department of Education has asked its Office of Civil Rights to evaluate the use of restraint and seclusion in one school district in every state to ensure compliance with federal laws, so the review doesn’t mean Fargo is necessarily at fault.

However, an advocate for people with disabilities in Fargo says there has been an increase this year in parent complaints about the treatment of upper grade and middle school students. Brenda Ruehl says most of the complaints involve the restraint of students on the autism spectrum.