IDEA Basics: (LRE) Least Restrictive Environment

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[@judyjenkins2232]

Good video. The problem is, schools are not taking LRE as keep them in gen ed except 20 minutes once or twice a day when they're receiving nothing, or almost nothing in the gen ed room. Another issue is a child with BD. They are throwing furniture, breaking items, cursing, and disrupting the classroom for 10-60 minutes at a time. The other students are scared daily. The teacher is supposed to keep teaching and ignore. The sped teacher, principle, BD specialist and sometimes 1 or 2 others along with the para are all attending to this 1 student and trying to get them out of the room. They already have ALL the supports in place... visuals, schedule, rewards, terminology, penny board, breaks, you name it. It goes on day after day. Students are traumatized and teachers have literally received a PTSD diagnosis from having a student like this in their classroom day after day. Then the other issue is, with there being only 1 sped teacher in our building, then the other students aren't receiving their legally required daily minutes when the sped teacher is attending to this BD child. Feds need to make LRE MORE CLEAR!!! This is NOT fair to the gen ed students and frankly not the teachers that have this child each year either. Then people wonder why paras and teachers are leaving education.

[@watcher62_6]

Thank you for this clarity.

[@lah20170]

THANK YOU LADIES ANSWERED EVERYTHING I NEEDED GOD THANK YOU

[@pskrocki]

I am looking for the year and specific document where the phrase 'in the least restrictive environment' is written.

[@jellyg0at9]

The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975

[@nmikloiche]

The idea of least restrictive environment needs to be overhauled in a big way. Say what you want but I moved to the best public school district in SW Ohio and LRE meant keeping a child with special needs within the general education classroom. I found the Special Ed dept dreadfully understaffed, underfunded, and I’ll-equipped to manage children with diverse needs and ages. I was really set back on my heels to learn that there was no real special education classroom, instead it was a resource room, sort of a drop in center for kids who melted down in the LRE. So the choice was gen ed classroom with an aid, pull out to resource room, except the resource room was woefully understaffed, or a contained classroom for the severely emotionally disturbed child. The result, is a special needs child who is ostracized by his peers, misunderstood and in many cases ridiculed by his teacher, and punished for his inability. I could not disagree with a policy more so than I do with LRE. I fail to see a single positive outcome to this arrangement and I challenge anyone to tell me one, that bring a positive outcome for the special needs student.

[@elizabethgarcia4891]

Yo quiero saber si estas informaciones estan disponible en español

[@archerx68]

Thank you so much! You nailed it for me....in the 70s I was excluded... I didn't even know this... I was bounced around from group home to some kinda of school outta town... And couch to couch... Now homeless most of my life time... I'm 52 now and mum of three amd granmama of two... Im trying to get ged but can't pass the IQ test...to enter or qualify.... Thanks y'all very interesting and informative... Yee Haww !!!...🤠🐄....

[@blainebacchiocchi]

It sounds like your child’s school just wasn’t structured properly. The ladies mentioned why this can happen in the video, it’s usually all about money or unwanted “extra work” from an administration standpoint. I worked in a K-12 restricted environment for 4 years, it was a public school option for students with a host of behavioral or safety concerns because of special education needs or because of trauma. The goal was always for students to move on from us to a less restrictive environment. We consulted regularly with sending districts and many students were sent back to their sending districts after the 30 observation period with a much better IEP. On a good day it looked like you were in a regular Ed classroom, some days it looked like you were in a small group special education classroom and other days would be full of crisis containment. The good thing about the school was that my students could have a major crisis in the morning and be highly engaged in afternoon activities. Each team had weekly case management meetings, we had a school adjustment counselor for each grade level, each classroom had 2 paras plus the main teacher, students had access to Art, Gym, and computer class as well as daily vocational tracks for High School students which included robotics, printshop, bike shop, and a fully functional culinary program. We were all trained in crisis management and legal safety restraints, a Mobil crisis unit was always on call, there’s a semi-mandatory 5 week summer program for all students K-12 and students weren’t just expected to develop their academic skills but also their self-regulation skills. Now I know this isn’t exactly the type of environment you may have in your head when you think of LREs, but without this part of the law, my former school wouldn’t exist and my former students (some who had been convicted of felonies) would be in the mainstream classrooms, Juvenile justice centers or like the old days completely segregated with no other options. This gives parents, students and educators options.

[@FemmeIntangible]

I've seen videos of other lawyers, who are more helpful. These women are talking like they are interested to protect school district interests more, than your and your child's... :(

[@sankalpahuddedar7800]

Think of School District as you allies. We won't work for school districts for such low salaries if didn't love/care for our school kids.