U.S. Department of Justice Finds Cedar Rapids Community School District in Compliance with Settlement Agreement

District eliminates seclusion, expands behavioral supports and reduces restraint incidents by more than 85%

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has determined that the Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) is in compliance with its 2022 settlement agreement concerning seclusion and restraint practices affecting students with disabilities. In a September 2 letter, the DOJ said it is concluding its monitoring of the district and the agreement will terminate.

“Building a comprehensive system to better support students has required four years of dedicated work by administrators, teachers and staff across our district,” said Superintendent Dr. Tawana Lannin. “I know this was a difficult chapter for families and for our staff. We are grateful to the Department of Justice and Grant Wood Area Education Agency for their partnership and support, and to Dr. Ryals Parker for the leadership and expertise he brought to this work. Our responsibility continues beyond the end of the agreement, and we will keep working alongside families and teachers to provide safe, secure and supportive learning environments for every student.”

The agreement followed a DOJ investigation that began in 2020. Under its terms, the district committed to ending seclusion, reforming restraint practices and improving behavioral interventions for students with disabilities.

As part of that work, the Board of Education invested more than $3.5 million to strengthen behavioral supports across the district. CRCSD expanded behavioral support staffing, established school-based safety teams, strengthened staff training, created a districtwide discipline and support matrix with clear expectations for student behavior and response, and established protocols for responding to behavioral and safety incidents.

According to the DOJ’s closure letter, CRCSD has eliminated seclusion, adopted new training and protocols, implemented a comprehensive behavioral support system across all district schools, and reduced restraint incidents to fewer than 200 during the last school year, a decline of more than 85% from the years before the agreement.

The DOJ also commended the district and its staff for their work and commitment throughout the four-year implementation period. CRCSD will continue its behavioral supports, staff training, discipline framework, safety protocols and intervention practices and will continue providing updates to the Board of Education and the community on its commitment to safe, supportive learning environments for all students.