Help Protect Students From Harmful Restraint and Isolation Practices
Friends and Advocates,
House Bill 1795 is now up for a vote on the House of Representatives floor. We urgently need your help to show strong, visible public support.
This is a critical moment. Every Representative will be voting on this bill, and they need to hear clearly from constituents that student safety, dignity, and humane behavioral responses matter.
When students experience behavioral crises, safety must remain the priority. HB 1795 reinforces the need for schools to prioritize prevention, de-escalation, and evidence-based interventions over practices that can cause harm or trauma.
Why HB 1795 Matters
Stronger protections for students Subject to appropriation, the bill extends and strengthens demonstration projects to eliminate student isolation and reduce restraints. It establishes clear statewide limits, prohibits chemical and mechanical restraints, and tightly restricts isolation, with only a narrow, time-limited exemption for certain younger students under specified conditions.
Improved oversight and accountability The bill updates incident notification, review, and reporting requirements. It strengthens standards for behavioral intervention planning and clarifies agency policies and procedures to ensure safer, more consistent responses.
State compliance and implementation support HB 1795 establishes a statewide compliance-monitoring framework and, subject to appropriation, provides training, technical assistance, and coaching to support effective and consistent implementation.
Expanded training and transparency The bill enhances training requirements for staff and governing bodies and requires multiple reports to the Legislature to promote transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Senate Floor Vote
Status: Scheduled for Senate Floor Vote
Who Votes: Full Washington State Senate
Strong constituent support is essential to move this bill forward to the Senate.
3 Ways You Can Support HB 1795
As the bill heads to a full House of Representatives vote, contacting your Representatives directly is the most effective action you can take. You can look up your representatives using the district finder or check the chart at the bottom of this alert! Each district has 2 representatives!
Email Your Representatives (Fastest Option)
Send a brief message expressing support for HB 1795
State that you are a constituent
Ask them to vote “Yes” on HB 1795
Call Your Representatives (Highly Effective)
Call your Representative’s offices
State your name and that you are a constituent
Say you support HB 1795 and urge a “Yes” vote
Share With Your Network (Amplify Impact)
Share this alert with family, friends, and community groups
Encourage others to email or call their representatives
What to Say: Key Talking Points
Protect students from harm
Students deserve learning environments that are safe and humane. HB 1795 strengthens statewide protections by reducing the use of restraints and isolation, prohibiting chemical and mechanical restraints, and tightly limiting isolation practices.
Create clear and consistent accountability
Incident reporting and review currently vary widely. This bill improves incident notification, review, and reporting requirements while reinforcing strong behavioral intervention planning standards.
Ensure schools are prepared to respond safely
Safe implementation requires training, guidance, and oversight. HB 1795 establishes state-level compliance monitoring and provides structured support to help schools consistently meet these standards.
Promote transparency and continuous improvement
Expanded training requirements and legislative reporting ensure ongoing transparency, stronger oversight, and data-informed improvements in student safety practices.
⚠️ Please do NOT discuss cost or funding. This hearing is focused strictly on student safety, protection, and accountability.
Need help knowing what to say?
You can start with one of these statements and make it your own:
“I want to send my child to school knowing they will be safe, and I support HB 1795 because …”
“I worry about how restraint or isolation may be used in schools, and this bill matters to me because …”
“Students in crisis need support and de-escalation, not traumatic interventions …”
“Clear statewide standards are necessary to protect students and families …”
“My biggest concern is preventing harm, and HB 1795 helps by …”
Washington State is home to 142864 children, adolescents and adults on the spectrum. Of them 8159 are birth-5, 28,525 are under 21, and 106,180 are adults 22 and older. April Is Autism Acceptance Month. Join WAA as we celebrate our loved ones, spotlight the skills, talent and potential of autistic individuals as well as recognizing (and troubleshooting) the challenges and […]
Q – I have heard that, to be eligible for special education in Washington, a student must fall one standard deviation below the mean in two developmental areas or two standard deviations in one developmental area. Does this standard violate federal law? A – That is the standard only for students aged 3 to 8 […]
In recent years, studies have begun to show that autistic individuals may identify as LGBTQIA+ at a higher rate. For many, the journey of self-discovery in terms of gender and sexuality can resonate with the autistic experience of navigating a world with neurotypical and cisheteronormative standards. This intersection can bring unique challenges. Individuals navigating life […]
