Least Restrictive Environment

What is LRE?

LRE is an educational environment, which is the most like that of typically developing children to the greatest extent possible.

Is there a legal basis for LRE?

Yes!

Forty years ago, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was put in place. This is now referred to as IDEA.

What spurred this Act? The court cases of Mattie T. v. Holladay & Wyatt v. Stickney.

What are the LRE mandates under IDEA?

LRE IDEA Mandates

• Children with disabilities should be educated with children without disabilities whenever possible.

LRE IDEA Mandates

• Educational placement based on the child's educational needs and be as similiar to the child's home as possible.

LRE IDEA Mandates

• Nonacademic and extracurricular activities should be able to children with disabilities.

LRE IDEA Mandates

• Public agencies provides a range of alternative placements with increasing levels of educational supports.

What was the outcome of the two court cases previously mentioned?

Both cases were considered deinstitutionalization cases.

The ruling in Mattie T. v. Halladay resulted in schools no longer separating students for educational purposes based purely on disability.

What does all of this mean to me as a teacher?

It means, there are two key pieces of information to keep in mind about IDEA.

IDEA Two Key Points

• Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE)
• Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

Children with disabilities and children without disabilities should be taught together as often as possible.

When I was still teaching at the secondary level, a student that was quadriplegic in my class provided a great deal of insight into marketing plans for products because he had a different perspective on the products.

Had he been in a separate learning environment, the class projects would not have been as rich in content.

Sources:

• Wrightslaw - Least Restrictive Environment/Inclusion Index Page. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2015, from http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/lre.index.htm
• Murdick, N., & Gartin, B. (n.d.). Special education law (Third ed.).