The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a formal finding on February 26, 2026, concluding that the Special School District of St. Louis County violated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act through its use of restraint and seclusion practices. Following a nearly two‑year investigation, the DOJ determined that these practices were routinely used without justification and, in many cases, placed students with disabilities at risk of physical and emotional harm.
The Special School District (SSD) is the largest special education provider in Missouri and is a Local Education Agency with an elected superintendent and a board of education. The SSD is similar to our Educational Service Centers. It partners with twenty-two public school districts, which rely on SSD to provide all special education services. In addition to providing special education services in classrooms in its partner districts’ schools, SSD operates six of its own schools. SSD also operates two technical high schools serving both students with disabilities and general education students.
The investigation found that hundreds of students were subjected to thousands of incidents of restraint and seclusion, often for behaviors that did not pose an imminent safety risk. In some instances, students lost significant instructional time as a result. The DOJ emphasized that restraint and seclusion are intended to be emergency measures only and should never replace appropriate behavioral supports and interventions.
The DOJ has proposed a settlement agreement requiring major reforms, including ending seclusion and supine restraint, improving documentation and oversight, strengthening behavioral supports, ensuring staff training and compliance with the law, and providing compensatory education and counseling services to address physical and mental harm, trauma, and lost educational time. If the SSD and DOJ cannot reach a settlement, the DOJ will likely initiate a lawsuit under Title II.
What does this mean for your district? The DOJ’s findings show how federal civil rights enforcement is actively working on cases in public school districts, something that historically flowed mainly through the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights. Given the recent changes to the Office for Civil Rights, this action by the DOJ is important to consider regarding oversight of restraint and seclusion in schools.
It should serve to bring to the forefront the requirement of a district or ESC to ensure students with disabilities have the opportunity to participate in or benefit from the aid, benefit, or service officer by the district or ESC, and to reasonably modify its educational program for students with disabilities.