Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is under near-constant criticism from civil rights groups calling foul on the administration's rollback of protections for transgender students, campus sexual assault survivors and students of color who are disciplined at much higher rates.

But on Thursday, she announced that the Department of Education would spearhead an initiative to address another of that sector's longstanding concerns: the use of restraint and seclusion, especially among students with disabilities.

Civil rights groups and special education advocates have cried foul on the practice, which research shows is both physically and psychologically damaging, and they've tried for years to sound the alarm over the mismatch between how often it's used and how scarcely it's reported, despite the fact that school districts are required to report incidents to the department's Office for Civil Rights.

"This initiative will not only allow us to support children with disabilities, but will also provide technical assistance to help meet the professional learning needs of those within the system serving students," DeVos said in a statement.

To be sure, the announcement doesn't characterize the move as an investigation and doesn't commit any new funding for new programs related to the issue. Even the press release is worded carefully, specifying, for example, that the initiative will address the "possible inappropriate use" of restraint and seclusion.

But it comes at a time when the civil rights community has been blasting DeVos and the Trump administration, most recently for its rollback of Obama-era discipline guidance aimed at stemming the school-to-prison pipeline. In this area of discipline, however, it seems DeVos may actually be moving the ball forward. Part of the previous administration's focus on discipline included guidance that put school districts on notice by emphasizing that restraint and seclusion could be considered a violation of a student's rights under the Americans With Disabilities Act.

"We will work to ensure that recipients are aware of their legal obligation," Kenneth Marcus, assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement, "and that we have accurate information and data on the use of restraint and seclusion."

The initiative is intended to help schools and districts understand how federal law applies to the use of restraint and seclusion. The Office for Civil Rights will work in tandem with the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services to provide schools with resources and information on the appropriate use of interventions to address the behavioral needs of students with disabilities.

The Office for Civil Rights will also conduct a review of the quality of data it collects from states and school districts – an issue that's recently risen to prominence – and work directly with school districts to provide best practices for collecting and reporting information on seclusion and restraint practices.