Robyn Darbyshire

EDUC 529
Six Pillars of IDEA Paper

LRE
Wikipedia describes LRE or "Least restrictive environment" to mean that a student who has a
disability should have the opportunity to be educated with non-disabled peers, to the greatest
extent appropriate. They should have access to the general education curriculum, or any other
program that non-disabled peers would be able to access. The student should be provided with
supplementary aids and services necessary to achieve educational goals if placed in a setting with
non-disabled peers. Academically, a resource room may be available within the school for
specialized instruction, with typically no more than two hours per day of services for a student
with learning disabilities. Should the nature or severity of his or her disability prevent the
student from achieving these goals in a regular education setting, then the student would be
placed in a more restrictive environment, such as a special school, classroom within the current
school, or a hospital program. Generally, the less opportunity a student has to interact and learn
with non-disabled peers, the more the placement is considered to be restricted.
The biggest reason I chose this particular pillar is because recently I accepted a new position
as a science teacher at a Day School for students diagnosed with ED, emotional disturbances. I
am curious about LRE due to the fact that all of my students have been taken out of their home
schools and placed at mine because of their disorders. I want to understand the process,
implications, and history of LRE and in turn learn about how it affects my students.
When considering the LRE of your students, there are a few things you need to think about.
In the case of Sacramento City Unified School District v. Rachel Holland, the court identified
several factors which are critical in analyzing whether a school districts placement

recommendation complies with the least restrictive environment mandate ("Special education
rights,"). These factors are ("Special education rights,"):
(1) Educational benefits available to the student with a disability in a regular classroom,
supplemented with appropriate aids and services, as compared with educational benefits of a
special education classroom;
(2) Nonacademic benefits of interaction with children who are not disabled;
(3) Effect on the teacher and the other students in the classroom of the presence of the student
with disabilities in terms of disruptive behavior and/or undue consumption of the teachers
time;
(4) Cost of mainstreaming a student with disabilities in a regular education classroom as
compared to the cost of placement of the student in a special education classroom.

In our textbook it talked about a case Clyde K. v. Puyallup School District (1994) that was
more applicable to my school and our students situations. In this case a 15-year-old boy who
was diagnosed with Tourettes syndrome and ADHD was placed in a regular education
classroom where he exhibited very disruptive behaviors such as profanity, sexual harassment,
and defiance. The Ninth Circuit ruled that it was appropriate for the child to be removed from
his regular education classroom and placed in a more restrictive setting. The behaviors this
young man demonstrated in his classroom are exactly what I can see on a daily basis at my
school. Just coming from a regular ed. building I can definitely see the obstacles you would
have as a teacher if you had a student who verbally and physically acted out in a threatening way
in your classroom. Being in the LRE is not always a regular ed. setting. As an educator though
you need to be sure your students are educated with regular education students whenever feasible

and possible to the maximum extent appropriate with related services and supplementary aides.
The IEP team must look at the full scale of services, making sure to begin with the regular
education setting and then moving to a more restrictive placement.

Resources
Clyde K. v. Puyallup School District (1994)
Least restrictive environment. In (2013). Wikipedia. Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Least_Restrictive_Environment
Sacramento City Unified School District v. Rachel Holland (1994)
Special education rights and responsibilities. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.disabilityrightsca.org/pubs/504001Ch07.pdf