Least Restrictive Environment-Choosing Placement
The Individuals with Disabilities Education ACT (IDEA) requires that all children with disabilities
must be educated in the least restrictive environment (LRE) that is appropriate for them. The
spirit of this requirement is to ensure that children are not unnecessarily removed from the
regular classroom or isolated from other non-disabled children of their age. LRE decisions are
made based on children's learning needs and vary from child to child. IDEA also requires that
schools provide a full continuum of services, ranging from regular classrooms with support
to special classes, and special school placements as needed: Education assignments are not
to be made based on the label describing the student's disability or the availability of programs.
The student's IEP team is responsible for determining the most appropriate educational
placement in the least restrictive environment that can meet their educational needs.
Questions for the IEP team to consider regarding LRE include:
 Is the student able to attend to instructional activities?
 What types of skills does the student need to learn?
 What amount of individual instruction does the student need?
 Is there a negative effect so disruptive that the education of other students is
significantly impaired?
 Do the child's disabilities demand so much of the teacher's time that the education of
other students is significantly impaired?
Caution should be taken when considering placement of a Learning Disabled (LD) student in a
Special Education classroom for subject areas for which they do not qualify as LD.
Consideration for the least restrictive environment (LRE) should begin with the regular (general
ed) classroom. Federal Special Education regulations require that a child with a disability will
not be removed from the regular classroom to receive instruction unless their educational
needs cannot be met with supplemental aids and services in regular classes. All placement
decisions are made by the IEP team with parent input, are based on the IEP, and are reviewed
at least annually. The IEP team should consider any potential negative effects of the
placement on a student and on the adequacy of services the child may receive.
The EUPISD advises that IEP teams use the following 10-point checklist of procedures for
determining the LRE in accordance with the IDEA of 2004:
Procedures for Determining the Least Restrictive Environment in
Accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
2004.
The State Board of Education supports the use of the following 10-step process to help
determine the educational placement of all students with disabilities.
____ 1.
The student's eligibility for special education placement is determined by the
individual Education Program Team (IEPT).
____ 2.
The student's specific educational needs (cognitive, affective, and psychomotor)
are identified and discussed by the IEPT.
____ 3.
The specific special education and related services necessary to address the
student's needs identified in step 2 are determined by the IEPT. These programs
and services must be identified by rule number and provider title.
____ 4.
The IEPT should give first consideration to the appropriateness of placement in
the general education environment with modifications and supports. The full
continuum of services will be considered without regard to current availability.
____ 5.
The extent to which the student will not participate in general education programs
is determined by the IEPT.
____ 6.
In selecting the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), consideration is given to
any potential harmful effects on the student or on the quality of services that
he/she needs (300.552b).
____ 7.
A determination of where the programs and services may most appropriately be
provided, including consideration of placement as close as possible to the child's
home may be made by the IEPT.
____ 8.
If the IEPT does not make a specific facility determination, documentation of the
placement considerations will be forwarded to the superintendent. The
superintendent will review the placement considerations and make a
determination of where and when the programs and services will begin.
____ 9.
In either case, the superintendent is then required to inform the parent of the
public agency's intent to implement the individualized education program, to
identify where those programs and services will be provided, and when the will
begin. (R340.1772a)
____ 10.
Upon receiving written notice, the parent then has a reasonable time to 1) accept
the superintendents decision as appropriate, 2) request mediation and/or a
hearing related to eligibility, the individualized education program, or the
placement decision, or 3) request another IEP.