What is the LRE?
The least restrictive environment or LRE is the cornerstone of the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA).
Before this law came into existence, many students with special needs were completely segregated from their non-disabled peers. They were often in separate schools, separate classrooms or separate programs from non-disabled children. In fact, some children with special needs received no education at all.
So, in 1975, Congress passed the IDEA, which had as its cornerstone integrating, as appropriate, children with special needs with their non-disabled peers. Congress noted the benefits for children with special needs to be with their non-
disabled peers. But they also noted benefits for the non-disabled peers, as both
would be ultimately integrated as adults.
So, what does the LRE mean? The LRE is that the placement that offers the most exposure to non-disabled children as is appropriate.
Therefore, after the school district completes its assessment, determines the child’s needs, and creates a plan for that child with present levels of performance, goals, and services, it must then decide what placement is appropriate for that child that offers the most interaction with non-disabled peers.
And the law uses the terminology “as is appropriate,” because sometimes there are situations where children with special needs cannot be integrated with their non-disabled peers. For example, maybe they have severe emotional problems or
severe behavior issues that don't allow the child to function appropriately with their non-disabled peers.
But the law states that before a district can move a child to a more restrictive environment, they must consider whether that child could be successful in a lesser restrictive environment if they are provided with appropriate aides and
supports.
Appropriate aides and supports might include a behavior plan; or a one on one aide to assist with attention, behavior or regulation issues. So, school districts can't simply move a child with special needs to a more restrictive setting without exploring whether that child could be successful in a lesser restrictive setting with added support.
And sometimes this can be problematic because it might be more expedient for a school district to place, for example, a child with autism and a special day class for kids with autism, rather than placing them in a regular education classroom and provide him or her with a one on one aid or a behavior plan.
So, remember, the district has this obligation to explore whether the child can be successful in a lesser restrictive environment with those supports.
And LRE is not an all or nothing approach. There can be varying degrees of exposure to non-disabled children. So even if a child appropriately belongs in a special day class for children with autism, the district should always be looking to see if there are parts of the day where exposure to non-disabled children can occur.
This exposure might include recess, an of elective such as band or theater, lunch or an academic area like math. So, even with children that require a more restrictive setting, the district must always be considering how can we allow this child to have some exposure to non-disabled children?
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