LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s education commissioner has ordered public schools to stop using a form of Aikido training to physically restrain students.
The Courier-Journal (http://cjky.it/2anFGqh ) reports that Kentucky Education Commissioner Stephen Pruitt sent a in a cease and desist letter to school districts on Tuesday, prohibiting staff from using the martial art technique.
Only five districts in the state have had staff members trained in Aikido, but Pruitt sent the cease and desist letter to all school districts as a precaution.
The letter follows concerns raised by members of a state oversight panel on child abuse that the method can result in injury and broken bones.
Jefferson County Public Schools spokeswoman Jennifer Brislin says the school district had already voluntarily phased out the use of Aikido before Pruitt’s letter.