expanding the circumstances where the restraint is permitted in schools and treatment facilities and modifying the definition of seclusion.

HB 1688 expands when schools and treatment facilities may use physical restraint on students, allowing it only when there is an imminent risk of bodily harm to a child or others. It modifies the definition of "seclusion" by adding a new exception: temporarily isolating a child alone to help them regain self-control (if they can leave the area and no barriers exist). The bill removes the previous requirement that restraint must address "substantial" harm, lowering the threshold to "imminent risk" of harm. Restraint must still be a last resort after other interventions fail, used only by trained staff. The bill directly affects students in schools and treatment facilities and the staff who implement these practices.