Stop Hurting Kids
Stop Hurting Kids is the national campaign to end restraint and seclusion abuse in schools. It was developed to combat abusive practices that can lead to physical injury, trauma and death. For too long students across the U.S. have been at risk of restraint and seclusion techniques that have been proven to hold no educational or therapeutic value, despite evidence-based, positive alternatives.
All students are entitled to a safe place to learn and grow, and parents and educators should be equipped with the information, tools and resources needed to support students in a positive and meaningful way. The Stop Hurting Kids campaign seeks to spark a public dialogue about restraint and seclusion in schools, elevate the grassroots movement that has called for the end of these practices for years, and gain support for the adoption of practices and policies that maintain a learning environment free from the threat of these abuses.
Stop Hurting Kids was developed through the combined efforts of advocacy, disability, social justice and mental health organizations. These organizations are united in their resolve to eliminate restraint and seclusion abuse in schools, and in bringing greater awareness to this issue through a national advocacy campaign.
The documentary, Restraint and Seclusion: Hear Our Voices (working title) by film maker Dan Habib, was filmed during the 2012 TASH Conference in Long Beach, California , and produced through a partnership of the National Center on Trauma Informed Care, TASH and the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability. Support for this film comes from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Click here for more information.
The film and corollary materials are made freely available to the public through http://stophurtingkids.com and other media for a variety of training, professional development and public awareness purposes.