This is probably the most important post I have made. I probably get the most calls from parents and clients about their child’s placement and Least Restrictive Environment. I always tell parents your child is a student who receives special education services but is a general education student first and has the rights and access to all aspects of a public education similar to his or her non-disabled peers. I emphasize the fact that students who are receiving special education services are general education students first because of the importance of Least Restrictive Environment or LRE.
In the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) the LRE is the general education classroom with access to peers without disabilities. If a student needs a more restrictive environment or placement because of their unique situation or needs then it’s a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) discussion. Parents need to remember the LRE is in the general education setting or classroom.
When making placement decisions priority must be given to placement in the general education classroom with any necessary supplemental aids and services to make that placement successful. When an IEP committee suggests a student be removed from the general education setting the IEP committee must show that the removal of the student to a different setting can only occur if the IEP committee determines that the nature or severity of the student’s disability is such that education in regular or general education classes, even with the use of supplementary aids and services, cannot be achieved satisfactorily. In other words, IEP committees must provide the data to show that the student could not be educated in the general education classroom satisfactorily even with the use of supplementary aids and services. Parents please remember to ask for the data that supports removal of your child to a more restrictive setting. Only after the LRE which is the general education classroom is considered should districts move to more restrictive placement options.
Below is a link to a blog from the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) that further explains LRE.
https://www.copaa.org/blogpost/895540/339733/The-Least-Restrictive-Environment-Dispelling-the-Myth