Boston district places teacher on leave after student’s physical restraint 

Boston Public Schools is investigating after one of its teachers was placed on leave for physically restraining a student during classes.

“The practice is highly regulated by the state,” explained the local ABC affiliate, noting the teacher at James F. Condon School in South Boston was placed on leave. “Teachers and staff can only perform a restraint if they’ve been trained.”

While the name of the affected student has not been released, the school was responsible for several special-needs children at the time, according to the article.

“Parents told 5 Investigates there are students in that classroom who have autism and are nonverbal.”

Teachers are rarely removed so quickly after a restraint occurs, said Guy Stephens, founder and executive director of the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint.

“It’s somewhat unusual to see such a swift response, which of course brings questions to mind of why there might be a quick response,” he told journalists.

Comprehensive training for educators can often mitigate any need for restraint, according to Stephens.

“Anytime we can avoid going hands-on with a kid, we should, because everyone is going to be safer if we can avoid that.”

A previous restraint-related investigation in 2024 involved a 3-year-old student. The school had an enrollment of 448 students in the 2025-26 academic year.

“Boston Public Schools recorded 355 restraints last school year, with 10 coming from the Condon School,” the news outlet wrote, noting the state has seen an increase in classroom incidents involving restraints.

“During the 2024-25 school year, 29,314 restraints took place in Massachusetts schools, up from 29,074 the school year prior,” an increase of 240.

Up to parents to ‘make their service preferences known’

As previously reported by The Heartlander, families with special needs have been increasingly withdrawing from public education to explore other learning options.

“As valuable as goals of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are, the law’s enforcement is left largely to parents,” wrote John Kristof, senior research analyst at EdChoice. “If a child’s special needs are not being met in their public school, it is up to the parents to ‘make their service preferences known and seek redress if these requests are not responded to.’”

Even in Massachusetts, which is known as a leader in public education, students with disabilities often fail to receive the accommodations they need in schools.

“The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) frequently highlights its commitment to equity, inclusion and educational opportunity for all students,” wrote Ben Tobin in a commentary published by the CommonWealth Beacon. “Yet for many families of students with disabilities, those promises feel increasingly disconnected from reality.”