ARLINGTON HEIGHTS –State Senator Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) and State Rep. Jonathan Carroll (D-Northbrook) released the following statements after the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) announced new rules that would continue to allow students to be restrained in a prone position:

“We are disappointed in the decision to allow for prone restraints to continue to be used in schools,” Gillespie said. “Prone restraints carry the most serious risk to students and are unacceptable. When students return to school after the Stay at Home order, they should not be put in a situation where their most basic dignity can be stripped away.”

“We’ve been working in good faith with all stakeholders to ensure that students are protected, and this decision undermines all that work,” Carroll said. “It’s disappointing that special interests have manipulated this process beyond the work we’ve done to produce a comprehensive bill. We will continue our work to make classrooms a safe learning environment for all students.”

Senator Gillespie and Rep. Carroll will continue to advocate for a ban on prone restraints in their pending legislation on seclusion rooms, Senate Bill 2315 and House Bill 3975.