That needs to change…and you can help.
A LOT of people aren’t aware of the archaic, counter-productive practices still being applied to kids
That needs to change…and you can help.
The Kids We Lose Exposes the Brutal Reality
One component of our public awareness efforts is our award-winning feature-length documentary film, The Kids We Lose. This film, which has aired on public television in numerous states, exposes the futility and brutality of how our most vulnerable kids are still being treated, makes a clear connection between that treatment and the school-to-prison pipeline, and offers a glimpse of a future without detentions, suspensions, expulsions, restraints, seclusions, and corporal punishment. The trailer for the film is below on the left…the film can be viewed in its entirety below on the right (with English closed captioning available). To view the film with Spanish subtitles, click here. Trigger warning: the film depicts treatment of kids that many find very difficult to watch.
Why Are Restraints, Seclusions, Corporal Punishment, and School Arrests So Counterproductive? These Videos and Stories Make it Abundantly Clear
You may not want to watch these videos. They depict the reality and brutality of the archaic, counterproductive, traumatizing practices still being applied to kids by caregivers who may not how to do things differently, and who may even think that what they’re doing is OK.
Many Caregivers Aren’t Familiar with Approaches That Will Help Them Do Things Differently…That’s Why We’re Here
If you’re unaware of the harm done by restraint and seclusion, you’ll want to read this…and this. And if you want to move your school or facility away from these practices, the three videos below are worth watching. Restraint and Seclusion in Vermont: Ending the Trauma was filmed and produced by Lives in the Balance in collaboration with All Brains Belong VT, and includes interviews with parents and children who have experienced the trauma of restraint and seclusion, educators who have ended their use of restraint and seclusion, and other caring professionals. Reducing Restraint & Seclusion in Schools: A Resource for Maine Educators was filmed and produced by Lives in the Balance in collaboration with the Maine Department of Education, and includes not only interviews with educators who have dramatically reduced their use of restraint and seclusion but also instruction on implementing the CPS model in schools. And the third video is a webinar sponsored by Lives in the Balance aimed at helping schools dramatically reduce or eliminate their use of restraint and seclusion.
Need more info? There’s an entire companion website offering tons of additional free resources.
WHERE DOES YOUR STATE RANK WHEN IT COMES TO PUNITIVE/EXCLUSIONARY DISCIPLINARY PRACTICES?
ARE THE FEDS IN YOUR STATE?
IT’S YOUR STATE AND YOUR KIDS:
RATES OF SELECT PUNITIVE PRACTICES IN EACH STATE
You can download or print out and distribute the sheet for your state to legislators, school board members, superintendents, special education directors, and principals…to make sure they know that things need to change.
