Assemblymember Angelo Santabarbara, Chair of the New York State Assembly Committee on People with Disabilities and the father of a son with autism, today announced the introduction of the Student Safety and Dignity in Schools Act, comprehensive legislation to strengthen statewide protections for students with disabilities – when physical force, restraint, or behavioral interventions are used in school settings.

The legislation is being introduced following multiple recent incidents that have exposed serious failures in student safety protections, parental notification, and oversight.

One incident occurred on December 23, 2025, at Lincoln Elementary School in Schenectady, where a photograph circulated showing a staff member with her foot on a second-grade student’s back during a restraint. According to reporting by the Daily Gazette, the student’s mother was not notified by the school and only learned of the incident more than two weeks later, after the photograph was shared with her by a third party. Additional reporting noted that the student has ADHD and struggles to express himself, underscoring the heightened vulnerability of students with communication challenges.

More recently, widespread reporting elsewhere in New York has described allegations involving an 8-year-old nonverbal autistic child who was placed inside a wooden enclosure as part of a behavioral intervention plan, reportedly without parental knowledge or consent. While investigations into that matter are ongoing, the allegations have raised statewide alarm about the use of isolation or confinement-type practices on students with disabilities.

“These incidents point to the same serious breakdown in our system,” Santabarbara said. “Without clear limits in law, consistent and enforceable oversight, and immediate parental notification, children are put at risk and parents are left out of decisions involving their own child.”

“It is unacceptable for a parent to learn days or weeks later, or from someone outside the school, that their child was restrained, isolated, or subjected to force,” Assemblyman Santabarbara said. “No family should ever be left in the dark when something this serious happens to their child.”

As Chair of the Assembly Committee on People with Disabilities, Santabarbara emphasized that students who are nonverbal or who struggle to communicate are especially vulnerable when safeguards fail.

“As a parent of a son with autism who struggles to communicate verbally, this issue is deeply personal,” Santabarbara said. “My son would not be able to tell me if something happened at school. No parent should ever be left wondering whether their child was restrained, isolated, or placed in a situation that compromised their safety or dignity.”

The Student Safety and Dignity in Schools Act places into statute clear, enforceable statewide standards that only exist largely in regulation and are applied inconsistently across school districts. The bill strengthens protections governing physical restraint, physical force, and behavioral interventions, while closing loopholes that allow harmful practices to occur without adequate oversight.

Importantly, the legislation would explicitly prohibit enclosure or confinement practices, including placing a child inside a box or enclosed space, regardless of how such practices are described or labeled.

“Placing a child inside a box or confined space should never be considered acceptable in a school or anywhere,” Santabarbara said. “These practices violate a child’s basic right to safety, dignity, and to be treated with respect.”

The bill would:

• Require same-school-day notification to parents or guardians whenever physical restraint, physical force, or isolation-type interventions are used on a student
• Prohibit enclosure and confinement practices, including boxes or structures that restrict a student’s ability to freely exit
• Clarify that timeout may not function as seclusion or confinement and must be continuously supervised
• Establish uniform statewide documentation standards, including what occurred, why the intervention was used, how long it lasted, and whether the student was injured or visibly distressed
• Require independent review of serious incidents involving students with disabilities, including prone or floor-based restraints or alleged isolation practices
• Guarantee parents timely access to incident reports and related photographs or video created by school staff, subject to privacy protections
• Require statewide reporting of anonymized data to the State Education Department to strengthen transparency, oversight, and accountability

The legislation specifies that responsibility for notification and reporting rests with the school district or its designated administrative personnel, not individual classroom teachers.

“This bill is about drawing clear lines in the law,” Santabarbara said. “It is about protecting students, respecting parents, and making absolutely clear that every child in New York State has the right to be safe and treated with dignity in school.”

The Student Safety and Dignity in Schools Act has been introduced in the Assembly and will be referred to committee for consideration.