What is least restrictive environment (LRE)?
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) says that a child with a disability must have the special help the child needs to make progress in the general curriculum and to achieve his or her annual goals. The law also says the child must get the special help in the least restrictive environment (LRE). This means your child with a disability will be educated to the greatest extent possible with nondisabled students. The IEP team begins discussing placement options by asking how the child’s IEP can be implemented within a regular education classroom. If the IEP team decides and documents on the IEP that the child cannot make progress in general education classes full-time, then a placement can be made in the least restrictive environment.
Related Questions
- Have federal legal provisions with respect to the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) mandate in IDEA changed in recent years? Have they changed significantly in any other ways?
- How will children be placed in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) if there is no Pre-K program?
- What is LRE or Least Restrictive Environment?
