Illinois State Board of Education
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The rules governing the use of physical restraint, time out, and isolated time out (RTO) can be found in 23 Ill. Adm. Code 1.285. RTO may only be used on a student if:

  1. The student’s behavior presents an imminent danger of serious physical harm to themselves, staff, or others.
  2. The staff implementing RTO have received annual systematic training in its safe and effective use.

Physical restraint shall not be used as discipline or punishment, convenience for staff, retaliation, a substitute for appropriate educational or behavioral support, a routine safety matter, or to prevent property damage in the absence of imminent danger of serious physical harm to the student or others. Any incident of RTO must be thoroughly documented using ISBE Form 11-01 and an accompanying behavior log (23 Ill. Adm. Code 1.285(e)). Schools are required to promptly notify the student’s parent/legal guardian and ISBE after any incident of RTO (23 Ill. Adm. Code 1.285(f)).

The following types of physical restraint are prohibited in Illinois schools:

  1. Chemical Restraint (i.e., the use of medication to control a student’s behavior or restrict a student’s freedom of movement). This does not include medication that is legally prescribed and administered pursuant to the student’s regular medical regimen (23 Ill. Adm. Code 1.285(c)(11)).
  2. Mechanical Restraint (i.e., the use of any device or equipment to limit a student’s movement or hold a student immobile). This does not include any restraint used to treat the student’s medical needs; protect a student known to be at risk of injury due to lack of coordination or loss of consciousness; position a student with physical disabilities in a manner consistent with their IEP/504 plan; provide a supplementary aid, service or accommodation; or to promote student safety while on school transportation (23 Ill. Adm. Code 1.285(c)(12)).
  3. Prone Physical Restraint (i.e., the student is held face-down on a surface and physical pressure is applied to their body to keep them in the prone position). Prone physical restraint is prohibited under any circumstances (23 Ill. Adm. Code 1.285(c)(4)).

ISBE routinely monitors school/district reports to the Student Information System (SIS) for incidents of chemical, mechanical, and prone physical restraint. Any instance will trigger an investigation in which ISBE may review documentation pertaining to the incident, interview the school staff involved, and issue findings and corrective actions (23 Ill. Adm. Code 1.285(j)(6)).

Additionally, any parent, guardian, individual, organization, or advocate may submit a signed written complaint to ISBE alleging that a school has violated any part of 23 Ill. Adm. Code 1.285. Upon receipt, ISBE shall initiate an investigation to determine whether violations occurred and, if so, issue orders for action to correct the noncompliance (23 Ill. Adm. Code 1.285(j)(1) and (j)(4)). More information on filing a state RTO complaint can be found in the blue drop-down bar below titled “File a State RTO Complaint.”​

RTO Forms and Resources

ISBE Form 11-01 (Physical Restraint and Time Out Form)

Any time a student experiences RTO, the serving entity must complete ISBE Form 11-01 in its entirety and maintain a copy within the student's temporary record. A copy of this form, along with other required documents per 23 Ill. Admin. Code 1.285(f)(3)(A)-(E), must be provided to the student's parent or legal guardian within one business day of the incident of RTO. Select your preferred language down below to download the PDF document:

RTO Parent Bill of Rights

ISBE created this document to provide parents and guardians with an overview of the requirements and their rights related to the use of isolated time out, time out, and physical restraint. This document may be used by entities when notifying parents/guardians of RTO incidents to satisfy requirements per 23 Ill. Admin. Code 1.285(f)(3)(A)-(E). Select your preferred language below:

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Training

23 Ill. Admin. Code 1.285(h) requires any adult who is supervising a student in RTO, or who is involved in a physical restraint, to receive at least eight hours of developmentally appropriate training annually. Online training may be utilized for all the following required training areas:

  1. Crisis de-escalation,
  2. Restorative practices,
  3. Identifying signs of distress during physical restraint and time out,
  4. Trauma-informed practices, and
  5. Behavior management practices.

Online training may not be used for training pertaining to physical restraint. However, ISBE has partnered with the Center for Intensive Behavioral Supports (CIBS) at Illinois State University to provide free online professional development that meets most of the staff training requirements. In addition to the training modules, CIBS maintains a growing library of free educational resources to support students who may experience RTO. All Illinois teachers are eligible to register for the free online training series that fulfills this requirement. Any teacher who teaches an Illinois student, regardless of location of educational entity, is eligible to register for a free account.​​​

File a State RTO Complaint

Any parent or guardian, individual, organization, or advocate may file a signed written complaint with the state superintendent alleging that a school district or other entity serving the child has violated 23 Ill. Admin. Code 1.285. The complaint shall only be considered for review if it alleges a violation occuring not more than one (1) year prior to the date on which the parent, guardian, individual, organization, or advocate ​received notification of the alleged violation. Completed complaint forms may be sent to RestraintTimeOut@isbe.net.​

RTO Complaint Form

Select your preferred language below to view the complaint form PDF document:

The following types of correspondence will NOT be investigated through the RTO complaint process:

  • Allegations of RTO misuse that the person refuses to put in writing or sign, despite offers of assistance in preparing the complaint.
  • Inquiries that seek advice and clarification regarding parental rights but make it clear that no official action is to be taken.
  • Anonymous correspondence.
  • Courtesy copies of correspondence directed to another entity.
  • Allegations that are not violations of the RTO regulations  (i.e. personnel issues, Section 504 issues, special education issues, harassment, etc.). Complaints that include such allegations may be referred to other relevant complaint procedures.

Under 23 Ill. Admin. Code 1.285(j)(3), the parties to the complaint may request state-sponsored mediation. Both parties must agree to participate in writing. Additionally, if one of the parties in the complaint is a nonpublic special education facility, the student's home district must also agree to participate in the mediation. If you would like to request state-sponsored mediation, please complete sections I - V of the Mediation Request Form.

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