Student Restrictions

Restrictions let you define pairs of students who should not be placed in the same classroom. They are the opposite of preferences, which pull students together. Restrictions push students apart.

What Are Restrictions?

A restriction records that two students must be in different classrooms. For example, a restriction between Student A and Student B means a valid placement must keep them apart. Check these pairs in the saved result before sharing it.

Think of restrictions as separation rules. While preferences say "keep these students together," restrictions say "keep these students apart."

When to Use Restrictions

Common scenarios where restrictions are helpful:

• Behavioral conflicts — Two students who consistently disrupt each other or have a history of conflict that makes classroom management difficult.
• Negative social dynamics — Pairs whose interactions negatively affect the learning environment for themselves or others.
• Siblings or twins — Many schools prefer to separate siblings into different classrooms so each child can develop independently.
• Teacher or parent requests — Specific separation requests backed by professional judgment or documented concerns.
• Distraction patterns — Students who tend to distract each other even without overt conflict, reducing focus and engagement.

How to Set Restrictions

To create a restriction between two students, start with at least two students in the roster. If the roster is too small, Shibutz directs you back to Students before you add restrictions:

• Navigate to the Restrictions section in your placement workspace.
• Select the first student from the dropdown list.
• Select the second student you want to separate from the first.
• Click Add Restriction to save it.

Restrictions are bidirectional. Adding a restriction between Student A and Student B records the separation rule for both students — you only need to add it once.

A restriction is saved only after the confirmation appears. If saving fails, your student selections stay in the form so you can retry.

Conflict Detection

When you add a restriction, the system automatically checks for conflicts before saving the pair:

• Conflicting pairing rules — If the same pair already exists in preferences, an error blocks the submission. A pair cannot be both kept together and kept apart.
• Not enough classrooms for a separated group — If adding the restriction creates a group of mutually-separated students larger than the number of classrooms, a warning is shown. The algorithm cannot place them all in different classrooms.
• Required placement conflict — If both students already have required placements in the same classroom, a warning notes the restriction cannot be fulfilled.

Warnings still allow you to add the pair but inform you of potential issues. Errors must be resolved before the restriction can be saved.

Restrictions vs. Preferences

Restrictions differ from preferences:

• Preferences are requests to place students together, not requirements. Some pairings may not be possible alongside other placement rules.
• Restrictions require separate classrooms. Review these pairs in the results before sharing a final list.

Each restriction reduces the set of valid arrangements. Adding too many can make a placement impossible. Use them only when separation is genuinely necessary.

How Restrictions Affect Your Placement Options

During placement generation, separation rules limit which classroom combinations are acceptable. Classroom capacity and boy/girl difference limits also apply. This means:

• A valid placement keeps restricted pairs in separate classrooms.
• The more restrictions you define, the fewer valid arrangements exist, leaving fewer options for other placement goals.
• If restrictions conflict with required placements, a valid placement may not be possible.

Tips

• Only add restrictions for pairs where separation is essential. Overuse can reduce placement quality.
• Review restrictions each year — dynamics change as students mature.
• If generation fails, check the Constraint Health card on the workspace overview page for blocking setup problems and warnings about conflicting rules or too few classrooms.
• You can delete a restriction at any time before generating a placement.