Why is it important to consider least restrictive environment for students with disabilities?

When your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) team meets, it talks about many things. That includes your child’s areas of strength, areas of weakness and present level of performance. The team also talks about the “least restrictive environment,” or LRE, for your child’s education.

The word “environment” makes LRE sound like a place. But it actually is more about your child’s educational program. Where your child learns is only one piece of the program.

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

LRE is part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA says that children who receive special education should learn in the least restrictive environment. This means they should spend as much time as possible with peers who do not receive special education.

IDEA says two things about LRE that are important to understand when working with the IEP team:

Your child should be with kids in general education to the “maximum extent that is appropriate.”

Special classes, separate schools, or removal from the general education class should only happen when your child’s learning or thinking difference—a “disability” under IDEA—is so severe that supplementary aids and services can’t provide your child with an appropriate education.

A key word here is appropriate. It refers to what’s suitable or right for your child. Sometimes, putting a child in a general education classroom isn’t suitable because a specific service or program can’t be provided there.

Mainstreaming and Inclusion

When LRE comes up, so do the words mainstreaming and inclusion. Many people think these terms mean the same thing, but they’re slightly different.

A mainstream classroom is a general education classroom. Mainstreaming means putting your child with special education needs in the general education classroom for some or most of the day. Your child may also have some instruction in a special education classroom.

“The intent of LRE is to make sure that kids who receive special education are included in the general education classroom as often as possible.”

The details are outlined in an IEP based on your child’s needs. Keep in mind that the word mainstreaming is being used less and less by schools.

An inclusion classroom is a general education classroom that has students who receive special education. Inclusion is a teaching approach that focuses on including students with special education needs in the school community.

Inclusion goes beyond placement in a general education class. It also aims to have a child participate in the classroom lessons and extracurricular activities.

Different Types of LRE

The basic idea of LRE is straightforward. Still, it’s often a hot-button issue at meetings. IDEA doesn’t spell out the LRE for each type of disability. There isn’t necessarily one “right” environment for all kids. And at times, it may be better or more suitable for a child to learn separately.

The intent of LRE is to make sure that kids who receive special education are included in the general education classroom as often as possible. But agreeing on how that happens isn’t always easy. The IEP team, which includes you, decides what the LRE is for your child. Here are some common LRE scenarios:

General education classroom with support. Your child spends the entire day in a general education class. Your child receives supports and services like a tutor or aide, assistive technology, related services, accommodations, modifications, or any combination of these.
Partial mainstream/inclusion classroom. Your child spends part of the day in a general education class. Your child gets some individual or small-group instruction in a special education class, or is pulled out of class for some services.
Special education class. This is a program with specialized instruction for kids with similar learning needs.
Specialized program outside of your school district. This includes private schools, residential programs and hospital programs.

Least Restrictive Environment

As parents sit at the IEP table, the Team comes to the part of the meeting when they discuss the “appropriate classroom setting.” If you are like me, parents automatically think their child will be in the gen-ed (general education/ regular) classroom. Random thoughts that have gone thru my head — as a parent and as an advocate – Isn’t every child entitled to be placed in the gen-ed setting? Is the gen-ed classroom the “best” setting for each child? What is the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) for my child? This last question is the hardest for parents as they sit at the IEP table.

Know Your Rights in the IEP Process: What Do those Procedural Safeguards Really Mean?

While at the IEP Meeting, it is hard to make a sound choice regarding which placement/setting will be the most beneficial to your child when you are reviewing all options for your child! We had to consider a non-inclusion class for our younger daughter with her legal blindness. With her blindness, there are different cues, teaching strategies, accommodations, etc… that needed to be addressed and that would have been more “typical” in a center classroom/ residential school with other students who were also blind. That decision did not come easily for my husband and I, but we had several other families that we were able to discuss placement with so that she benefitted best! At least we “could prepare.” Most parents don’t have that luxury.

Public School vs. Private School: The Pros and Cons

Getting back to the IDEA law: IDEA does state that our children with disabilities in public or private schools/facilities should be educated with children who are nondisabled and that placement outside the gen ed class “occurs only if the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.”1 The ASD (autism) class is one example where your child might benefit from placement with other students who have autism; the classroom might be more equipped with tools/equipment/therapies/strategies than the gen ed class.

There is a continuum of placement – regular/gen-ed classes, gen-ed classes with supports (inclusion), special classes (ESE/resource room/self-contained), special schools (center or residential schools), home instruction, and hospital/homebound and institutions.2 The IEP Team, which includes parents, will consider the IEP, present levels, and evaluations and placement should be reviewed and determined annually. Placement should also be made at the school closest to the child’s home or where he/she would be placed if they did not have a disability.3

If your child is placed in a more restrictive classroom, they should be included to the extent possible with their nondisabled peers. This may mean that they are in the lunchroom or extracurricular classes/electives with their nondisabled peers, but are sitting with their classmates. The IEP will have a breakdown of the percentage of time your child will be with children with and without disabilities. The Team will also review and determine your child’s need for supplementary aids/services and these will also be written into the IEP. I usually suggest that parents request that their child be included in an elective (or two) with supports to see how their child will do in a gen-ed setting.

Placement is critical for your child so network with other parents or talk to an advocate so that you can make an informed decision that you can agree with. And you do need to “let it work” to see if your child thrives in that placement.

Doreen Franklin Doreen is a Special Ed Advocate and parent of 2 adopted daughters with diverse special needs. She assists parents with their understanding of legal policy, procedures, rights, & responsibilities under IDEA so parents can learn to collaboratively advocate for their child. She has been an Advocate & Coach since 2005. Doreen is also a private tutor and homeschooled her older daughter.

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