Prior to the revolutionary changes in public education for disabled students that came in the 1970’s, such students were often either left without an education or were put in institutions with minimal to no instruction. The Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) of 1974 requires that all students, regardless of abilities, be provided a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). It further dictates that this education take place in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE).
Determining the LRE is a part of the development of the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) put together for each student. Parents should that they are an equal part of the team that puts together the IEP and that they have a right to provide their input on this. The LRE can be thought of less as a physical location and more as a concept to ensure that the student is receiving the necessary without restricting their access to typically developing students as much as possible.
The LRE can be anywhere from a mainstream classroom with s to a special education school to hospitalization or home schooling with from the public school system. Most students fall somewhere in this continuum. Students can also move between settings such as spending part of their day in the general education classroom and part in a self- contained space.
In a general education classroom with the student is in a general education classroom all day, with added services such an aide, assistive technology, or accommodations/modifications to the curriculum. In a partial mainstream/inclusion classroom the student spends part of the day in the general classroom and part of the day in a special education classroom. In a special education classroom, the student spends the day in a specialized classroom with students with similar needs. In a specialized program outside of school district the student could attend a private school, specialized program, or residential program.
Specialized Classrooms
District of Columbia Public Schools has worked hard at expanding its resources in recent years and has a variety of specialized classrooms into which students can be placed depending on their needs. They are:
Behavior Learning (BLS) Classrooms serve students whose learning and/or behavior difficulties make it difficult for them to learn at the same pace as their peers. They are on track to receive a high school diploma.
Behavior and Education (BES) Classrooms are for students with moderate to severe emotional and behavioral disorders that require intensive behavior and interventions. Again, these students are generally on track to receive a high school diploma.
Communication and Communication Education (CES) Classroom serves students with significant cognitive impairments. The focus is less on academics and more on life skills, making friends, and behavior. These students are on track after third to receive a High School Achievement Certificate.
Early Learning (ESL) Classroom is for younger students with learning and/or behavior delays. After third grade these students may a different specialized classroom or else their typically developing peers.
Independence and Learning (ILS) Classroom is for students with Intellectual Disabilities. Students receive assistance with academics plus social interactions and self-care. They receive a High School Achievement Certificate.
Specific Learning (SLS) Classroom serves students with a specific learning disability, mild intellectual disability, other health impairment, autism spectrum disorders, or multiple disabilities.
Finally, the Medical and Educarjon (MES) Classroom is for students with serious health problems that need while they are at school. Some of the students are able to receive a high school diploma.
Determination of LRE
Bridges Public Charter School in DC has an additional lottery for high-level special education students. Bridges has stand-alone special education classroom for students whose IEP’s provide between 16 and 32 hours per week outside of the general education setting.
The Bridges classrooms are an Emotional Disturbance program for grades Kindergarten through 5th grade and a Non-Categorical program for grades PK3 through 5th grade. This second classroom educates kids with diagnoses such as Other Health Impairment, Speech and Language Impairment, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Developmental Delay, and Multiple Disabilities.
Hypothetically, the determination of LRE is obvious. Some children clearly need much more significant only to be found in certain environments while others have milder needs that can be handled within a general education classroom. Having each child educated with the most access to typically developing students is beneficial to the child with a disability. In theory these students will go on to live in a world where they will have to handle situations without the they receive in school. The more they are exposed to that during their school years, the more they will be prepared for adulthood.
On the other hand, even a student who might one day attend college and work in a mainstream job might need significant to get through the school years. Schools can be overwhelming environments. For example, students on the autism spectrum struggle with the numerous unwritten social expectations, unannounced changes of routine, sensory bombardment, and, sadly but often, misunderstanding of their disability. Other students can easily handle the social environment of school, but their disability makes it impossible for them to learn adequately without being pulled out of the general education classroom and educated 1:1.
In general, the trend with schools is to try to place kids in a LRE with the fewest possible hours even if they actually need more . It is incumbent on the parents to read the evaluations, paying special attention to the recommendations for educational s, to determine whether the services being offered are sufficient. They also have the right to request a 30-day review if they sense that their child is not receiving enough help.
School systems are most resistant to placing students in non-public placements, even if that is what they really need. These schools are extremely expensive and there is the added expense of transporting students there, often over long distances. These placements are not ideal for the student either, as they remove the student completely from access to typically developing peers, but sometimes they are the only way to find success.
As with all issues in special education, there are pros and cons to having a child in any environment. Students who are able to be placed in the general education classroom benefit from the exposure to typically developing students, more opportunities to be challenged academically and in of communication, and increased socialization. However, often the s are not enough for the child to flourish. Additionally, there can be a stigma attached to a student who manifests a disability either academically or behaviorally. This can cause the student to be acutely aware of their differences and therefore sometimes a more restrictive environment would be more appropriate.
These are the types of considerations that must be taken into when determining the LRE, but, again, often the school districts are more concerned with savings money rather than the best placement. Sometimes an educational advocate or lawyer is necessary to help parents achieve the best LRE for their child.
E.V. Downey is an educational consultant and tutor based on Capitol Hill. She is also the co-director of Busy Bees Camps and teaches flute at Music on the Hill. A graduate of DS, E.V. has 25 years’ experience in education as a teacher, school , behavior therapist, tutor, consultant, and camp director.
