On July 10, 2020, Carole L. Clancy, PDE Director the Bureau of Special Education, released a memo titled 2019-2020 School Year Restraint Information System Collection Tracking and Training – Fourth Quarter Reporting Window reminding LEAs that the Restraint Information System Collection (RISC) is now open for data entry for the fourth quarter (restraints occurring between April 1-July 15). The deadline to submit fourth quarter data is July 15, 2020. In March 2020, the Bureau of Special Education (BSE) waived the March 31, 2020 deadline for the RISC reporting responsibilities for the third quarter.  Local education agencies (LEAs) that have not entered past restraints or have restraints still in process should enter these in the RISC system as part of fourth quarter reporting. LEAs that have zero (0) restraints to report for the fourth quarter will follow the format of reporting zero (0) restraints during the July 1–July 15, 2020 reporting window. The RISC system will remain open for any Extended School Year reporting of restraints to provide reporting opportunities for educational entities that may be able to resume normal operations during the summer. BSE requires LEAs to report the restraints that occurred in each quarter. This reporting process permits LEAs to report restraints in a timely manner which, in turn, allows LEAs to monitor patterns of episodic behaviors and address them accordingly.
The RISC reporting design provides an “End Date” for LEAs to comply with their end of quarterly reporting. In addition, there is a two-week window date labeled “Last Day to Report” to allow LEAs to gather and report on those students who attend an out-of-district facility where they were placed in a restraint during that quarter. This two-week period is also a designated time for LEAs that had no restraints during the quarter to report zero in RISC. BSE will continue to send out reminder PENN*LINKS about this quarterly reporting requirement.
BSE will continue to monitor the restraint information reported by LEAs. RISC continues to require each LEA to report the event prior to the incident; the incident; the unsafe behavior; and the de-escalation techniques utilized.
The LEA must notify the parent(s) of the use of a restraint and schedule an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting within 10 school days of the use of the restraint in the educational program, unless the parent(s), after written notice, agree(s) in writing to waive the IEP meeting. Additionally, restraints occurring during Extended School Year sessions should be reported within three weeks of the start of the school year.
In reviewing restraints submitted in RISC, the Special Education Advisers of BSE will continue to focus on LEA monitoring responsibilities as well as:

• Training of staff in de-escalation techniques;
• Excessive time of restraint;
• Excessive use of parent waivers;
• Mechanical restraints;
• Injuries;
• Number of restraints; and
• 10-day window (school days) to convene an IEP meeting after a restraint occurs.

 A RISC reporting webinar is posted on the RISC site at https://apps.leaderservices.com/_risc/index.aspx. The RISC reporting webinar link is located below the login box of the Leader Services RISC sign-in page. This webinar explains the reporting process and how to use the RISC system. The webinar also shares how to update your LEA’s contact information. All parties involved with RISC are highly encouraged to view this webinar to learn how to report restraints, how to use the system, and to understand the regulatory responsibility of LEAs.
Additionally, BSE’s “Guidelines for De-escalation and the Use of/and Reporting of Restraints in Education Entities” is available for review on the RISC site. Questions regarding RISC should be directed to Special Education Adviser: Keith Focht at 717.783.6921 or [email protected].