LRE - Part I

This is Part One in a series on the Least Restrictive Environment.  The next sections of this series will be released over the course of the month of September.


The world of Education, and particularly the realm of Special Education, is full of acronyms.

One of those acronyms that you may frequently come across is LRE.  LRE stands for the Least Restrictive Environment.

As a parent or guardian of a child with special needs, your first reaction when considering school is to protect your child as much as possible.  You may be naturally inclined to desire a buffer to help cushion him or her from the world because, let's face it... the world doesn't always accept special as wonderful, unique, and full of potential.  Your child may have needs that threaten his or her health making it difficult for you to picture him or her participating in the swarm of 22+ other children in a classroom with one or two adults.  As a parent of a child with special needs - whether those needs are because of allergies, chromosomal differences, or Autism - you want to make sure that your loved one is protected.

Most often, schools offer this "protection" in the form of separate classrooms, separate tables, or separate educational opportunities tailored to meet "the specific needs" of your child.

While these "protective mechanisms" may at first thought appear to be ideal, I challenge you to ask yourself if it is really the best environment providing the most opportunities for your child to learn about the world around him or her and grow alongside his or her peers.

IDEA guarantees children with special needs the right to learn in the least restrictive environment possible with the maximum supports available.

Sec. 300.114 LRE requirements. 

(a) General. 

(1) Except as provided in Sec. 300.324(d)(2) (regarding children with disabilities in adult prisons), the State must have in effect policies and procedures to ensure that public agencies in the State meet the LRE requirements of this section and Sec. Sec. 300.115 through 300.120.

(2) Each public agency must ensure that--

(i) To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are nondisabled; and

(ii) Special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment 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.

(b) Additional requirement--State funding mechanism.

(1) General. (i) A State funding mechanism must not result in placements that violate the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section; and

(ii) A State must not use a funding mechanism by which the State distributes funds on the basis of the type of setting in which a child is served that will result in the failure to provide a child with a disability FAPE according to the unique needs of the child, as described in the child's IEP.

(2) Assurance. If the State does not have policies and procedures to ensure compliance with paragraph (b)(1) of this section, the State must provide the Secretary an assurance that the State will revise the funding mechanism as soon as feasible to ensure that the mechanism does not result in placements that violate that paragraph.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(5))

LRE means that, to the maximum extent appropriate, school districts must educate students with disabilities in the regular classroom with appropriate aids and supports, referred to as "supplementary aids and services, " along with their nondisabled peers in the school they would attend if not disabled, unless a student's IEP requires some other arrangement. This requires and individualized inquiry into the unique educational needs of each disabled student in determining the possible range of aids and supports that are needed to facilitate the students's placement in the regular educational environment before a more restrictive placement is considered. (http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/lre.osers.memo.idea.htm)

Educating a child in the least restrictive environment helps ensure that the WHOLE child is being educated.  Not only are academics part of a child's teaching, but social cues and mores, transition practices, and appropriate interactions are integral to the complete education of a child.

Certainly there occasions when it is arguable that a child should be in a smaller learning environment with one on one attention.  However, it is important that these placements and situations, if chosen, are still as unrestrictive as possible in order to maximize the child's learning potential.

Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them.
~ Lady Bird Johnson

Perhaps one of the most significant facets in helping a child achieve an education in the least restrictive environment is believing that the child is capable of performing without restrictions.  I am in no way endorsing "throwing a child to the wolves", so to speak, in order to prove that he or she is able to do certain things.  

I am, however, encouraging a paradigm shift from seeing what the child's limitations are to embracing the child's strengths and capitalizing on them in order to provide an environment that is not overly restrictive.  Evaluate the child's capabilities based on the child rather than on the test scores, evaluations, and diagnosis of the child.  

It is always possible - and much, much easier on everyone - to add in additional supports as needed; however, it is significantly more difficult to remove unnecessary supports once perceived dependencies have been established.  

It is a proven fact that children will try to live up to the expectations set for them. 

IDEA Part(A)(c)(5). Over 20 years of research and experience has demonstrated that the education of children with disabilities can be made more effective by (A) having higher expectations for such children and ensuring their access in the general curriculum to the maximum extent possible.  

By setting higher expectations for our children with special needs, we are not only assuming and encouraging competency, but also empowering them to work towards achieving success.  By eliminating the focus on the disability of the child and focusing on the possibilities and strengths of the child, we as parents, educators, and advocates are significantly more effective in supporting the potential for success and providing our children the opportunity to learn and grow in the least restrictive environment.

Jennifer Cardenas