Least Restrictive Environment Policy
of the
Illinois State Board of Education
Draft
December 1999
The Illinois State Board of Education adopts this policy on least restrictive
environment on the ______ of January 2000.
Least Restrictive Environment Requirements
Consistent with federal and state law, all students with disabilities (including
those in public or private institutions or other care facilities) must be provided a
free, appropriate education in the least restrictive environment. To the maximum
extent appropriate, the education provided for students with disabilities is to be
with their peers who are not disabled. A student with a disability may be placed
in other educational settings only when the nature or severity of the disability
makes it impossible to satisfactorily address the student’s unique educational
needs in regular classes.
Nonacademic and extracurricular services and activities, including but not limited
to meals, recess periods, and the services and activities set forth in both State
and Federal laws, must also be provided in the least restrictive environment.
Placement Options
The Illinois State Board of Education believes that special education cannot be
considered as a program that is separate and distinct from the rest of the
educational system. Instead, it is a combination of services that will allow
students with disabilities to achieve to their maximum potential.
The State Board further believes that no one type of educational setting is
appropriate for all students who have been identified with a particular disability.
State and federal laws and regulations require that alternative educational
settings be made available by school districts or other appropriate public
agencies to the extent necessary to implement the IEP for each student with a
disability.
Each school district or appropriate public agency in the state is responsible for
providing a full continuum of placement options. Students with disabilities must
be able to access and receive free and appropriate special education services in
the least restrictive environment, wherever that may be along the continuum.
Placement decisions must be guided by student needs; the placement may not
be driven by local availability of services or administrative convenience.
In determining the least restrictive environment, the school district or public
education agency must consider any potential harmful effects of a proposed
placement on the student with disabilities or on the quality of services that the
student may require.
Assurances
The Illinois State Board of Education shall require assurance from each public
education agency that a continuum of placement options is available to meet the
needs of students with disabilities.
Each public agency shall assure that the educational placement of each student
with a disability is

determined at least annually by the individualized educational program (IEP)
team composed of the student’s parent(s), a local educational agency
representative, and other required participants;

based on the child’s IEP; and

located as close as possible to the student’s home. Unless the student’s IEP
requires some other appropriate arrangement, the student shall be educated
in the school that he or she would attend if the student had not been
identified as having a disability.
Each public agency shall further assure that the educational placement of each
student with a disability provides for meaningful participation and appropriate
progress in the State Goals for Learning, the Illinois Learning Standards, and the
State Assessment.
Public agencies must also assure the State Board that each student with a
disability participates with students who are not disabled in those services and
activities that meet the student’s needs as outlined on the IEP.