Least Restrictive Environment Interview and Essay The idea behind least restrictive environment is that all students should have the opportunity to learn, if possible, in a mainstream classroom. If learning in a mainstream classroom is not possible, students who have special education needs must be put in an environment that is the least restrictive. However, there exists a lack of clarity when it comes to the specific language presented in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which has led to school districts having various different interpretations regarding least restrictive environment (Alquraini, 2013). This week I sat down with Shirley Cummings, Special Education Coordinator for the Aqua Fria Union School District, and we …show more content…
had a frank discussion regarding the nature of least restrictive environment, parental involvement, and how legal cases and decisions have affected these topics in the district. 1. Question: Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today. The first thing I would like to know is your definition of least restrictive environment? Answer: It’s a determination that decides if the special education student in question can perform at an acceptable level in a mainstream classroom, or needs to be in a classroom with the least amount of students on a campus. This decision is made based on their ability level or behavior (S. Cummings, personal communication, November 12th, 2015). 2. Question: OK, how exactly is service delivery determined for a student in the district with special education needs, specifically when taking into consideration the need to provide the least restrictive environment? Additionally, what types of services and delivery is offered? Answer: Determination of services can only be made after the student has been evaluated by an IEP team, which typically consists of a Psychologist, case manager, and Teacher. The type of service, and how it is delivered, depends on the disability of the individual students. The district offers special education classes, occupational therapy, speech and hearing therapy. However, that’s just services that are delivered via providers outside of the classroom. Inside the classroom students with certain needs can have access to a Resource Specialist that can provide more one-on-one time with a student, and some deaf and blind students have assistive technology to help bridge the communication gap (S. Cummings, personal communication, November 12th, 2015). Follow up Question: What about some of the classes that are not strictly academic? How does Physical Education, Arts, and Music play into the idea of least restrictive environment? Answer: Those classes function just like any other classes. Inclusion in those classes means that the students experience the same thing as everyone else, and if they need assistance or services in order to do so, that is also usually addressed and determined by the IEP team. 3. Question: When it comes to parental involvement, does their input play a factor in the determination of least restrictive environment? Answer: Yes, during the child’s initial IEP meeting parents will give feedback and suggestions based on the behavior and demeanor of the student, and how they function at home, and their developmental process.
They are also invited to follow up meetings, but not required to attend (S. Cummings, personal communication, November 12th, 2015). Follow up question: We recently read about many court cases, the one that intrigued me the most was Light v. Parkway, a case that saw the courts rule in favor of a more restrictive setting due to safety issues that arose in the classroom (Light v. Parkway, 1994). Would you say that this court cases and laws of this nature have played a significant role in how the district looks at least restrictive environment? Answer: Certainly, safety is a major concern when it comes to every student. However, there comes a time when we are put in situations that are unavoidable due to extreme behavior. Cases like this one have allowed us to document, and therefore show proof, that inclusion is not in the best interest of a student, for their safety, and the safety of those they are in class with. When dealing with parents who want full inclusion and do not want to hear reasons why inclusion may not work, cases like Light v. Parkway have given the district the ability to “overrule” those …show more content…
decisions. 4. Question: Has there ever been an incident in which a parent or guardian advocated for an LRE environment for their child? How did the district respond? Answer: This happens a lot, several times per year actually.
Most parents know, or at least have a general understanding of the environment or atmosphere that their student needs be in to succeed. The district encourages that parental input be given to the IEP team during a multi-disciplinary meetings, and always tries to take that input into consideration. However, sometimes what the parent wants is not always in line with the student’s ability level, and the IEP team will try to find a compromise, or even offer trial periods to evaluate progress and behavior (S. Cummings, personal communication, November 12th, 2015). Follow up Question: When talking about the continuum of placement alternatives, I know that it can range from inclusion in general education classrooms to special education schools and institutions (Carson, 2015). When the district thinks that these more restrictive atmospheres are in the best interest of the student, yet parents strongly disagree, I imagine that things can get pretty complicated, right? Answer: It can be a hard fight sometimes. There have been times when parents will pull their kids out of the school because they disagree. There have been times when parents will take it to court in order to have their kids stay in a general education setting, and at that point you have to rely on documentation and assessments and evaluations to help prove what’s in the best interest of the
student. 5. Question: What are the teacher qualifications for each type of service delivery? Answer: This is a complex question to answer. There are many different certification in each type of therapy offered. There are Speech Therapists, but also speech language pathology assistants, teachers and paraprofessionals with different certifications, cross categorical teachers that each have different and specific certifications, as well as autism teachers that have multiple disability certification. Of course, this is all on top of their teacher certification (S. Cummings, personal communication, November 12th, 2015). Follow up Question: In our textbooks this week, we also read about Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley, a case in which a student with a hearing disability needed personalized instruction, yet the court denied the parents request that the student be provided with a sign language instructor. In cases like this, a teacher’s lack of certification in a specific area means that the educator must find a way to still teach the student, perhaps without specific skills that would make instruction easier. Would you say this happens regularly? Answer: Not regularly, but I would say that it’s not uncommon. Sometimes the preferred method of educating a student is just not available, at that point the team, and educator specifically, must come up with creative ways to provide for the student. In summary, the idea of least restrictive environment is something that I have come to view as complex, sometimes frustratingly so, and has many factors that must be taken into consideration. Parental input, the IEP team, district resources, and at times even the court system, all play a part in delivering the appropriate services to special education students. Teams of professionals and para-professionals, most of whom are certified in a number of different areas, must come together to assess and evaluate a student before they can fully deliver an individual education plan that protects the students’ rights and serves them at the highest possible level.
This decision makes it clear the most important thing for a school to do is to protect the students. It also states that the board of education, whose role is to oversee the schools, must make sure that the staff of the schools is protecting those children. This case highlights that long-term abuse can happen in schools if there are not clear policies or, if there are, that there is no one ensuring that those policies are
Therefore, the respondents took the case to court (Island Trees…). The holding, the court’s decision, by a 5-4 vote, was “The First Amendment limits the power of local or school boards to remove library books from junior high schools and high schools” (Island Trees…). The court also said that the Board of Education “should not intervene in ‘the daily operations of school systems’ unless ‘basic constitutional values’ were ‘sharply implicate[d]”(qtd. in Board of Education, Island). The dissent consisted of Burger, Powell, Rehnquist, and O’Connor; the concurrence consisted of Blackmun and White (Island Trees…).
Possible Outcomes: A meeting will be planned with the Special Education teacher, General Education teacher, Principal (or district representative) and individual who can evaluate the child. We will work on goals for Tiffany and set those goals with a yearly IEP and a 3 year revaluation. Tiffany will receive a new annual goal and her schedule will most change. Tiffany’s schedule may be altered and she will be in the general education room for whole group instruction and for a portion of the day the special education room for academic support. Tiffany’s parents will be informed of the services that will be provided for their daughter. Tiffany’s parents will also be informed of the modifications/accommodations that Tiffany can
Another major reason why juveniles are ending up in the juvenile justice system is because many schools have incorporate the zero tolerance policy and other extreme school disciplinary rules. In response to violent incidents in schools, such as the Columbine High School massacre, school disciplinary policies have become increasingly grave. These policies have been enacted at the school, district and state levels with the hopes of ensuring the safety of students and educators. These policies all rely on the zero tolerance policy. While it is understandable that protecting children and teachers is a priority, it is not clear that these strict policies are succeeding in improving the safety in schools.
It is required that the student be placed in the setting most like that of typical peers in which they can succeed when provided with needed supports and services (Friend, 2014). In other words, children with disabilities are to be educated with children who are not disabled to the maximum extent appropriate. Removal may only occur when education in regular classes, with the use of supplementary aids and services, cannot be achieved satisfactorily (Yell, 2006).
Parents often fail to communicate their thoughts about the source of problems that challenge their children, or to recommend solutions during Individualized Education Program meetings because most do not feel empowered to participate in the IEP process.
I observed an IEP meeting for one of my students who has a TBI, traumatic brain injury. She just moved to this school district last year, so this was a follow-up IEP meeting to see how she was doing on her short-term objectives and overall goal. They also talked about transitioning her into high school, because she is in 8th grade now. The People who attended the meeting were the DAPE teacher, the mom, the student, the three special education teachers, the para-professional, and case manger.
I have experienced firsthand some of the positives and negatives. One of the most important aspects of inclusion is the social development gained by students with disabilities. One of the negatives is the danger of a student with a disability not being able to differentiate when they are in real danger of getting hurt. Often students with disabilities appear to be normal among the other students and not given the latitude of having a disability that may impede there judgement. As a special education teacher, I have learned standing in the doorway to prevent a child from leaving the classroom constitutes seclusion. I had to testify in a civil case in 2016 were a child with a disability tried to leave the classroom and the substitute teacher stood in the doorway and tried to prevent her from leaving. Preventing the incident could have transpired if there had been proactive measures taken rather reactive measures. It has become necessary to provide all personal involved within the school system the education needed to support inclusion and children with disabilities. I am a true believer in Least Restrictive Environment. Throughout my teaching career, I have watched a student with an IQ of 51 participate in co-taught or mainstream classes. Now, this particular student’s social skills were better than most people I know. In his freshman year, the doctor diagnosed him with cancer and given one year to live. He never stopped smiling. He pulled through and is currently finishing a program at the Vo-tech, where he maintained his grades and attendance with very few accommodations. He is happy, healthy, and I can see him ending up making more money a year than most people I know. I do understand not all cases will be like this one. However, I am sure that if the parents of this particular student had not stood their ground and refused to allow their child be
Zero tolerance policies were cited as being of significant concern to racialized communities. There is a strong perception that the Safe Schools Act and school
We had a high school student that was on the ISAT-Alt with an eligibility category of autism. This student had significant services and accommodations including academic supports, speech/language therapy, occupational therapy, and behavior supports. The parent refused to allow the testing that the team felt was necessary for the upcoming re-evaluation. After a particularly intense IEP meeting, I suggested to the team that we reconvene and invite a state facilitator to attend to ensure equity of voice. The parent agreed to the meeting and with the help of the facilitator, the team was able to agree on testing and move forward. This student also left our school shortly after this
Families have to travel to buildings far from their homes or send their child on a school bus to further school districts with more opportunities for their child. I find that this can be tiring when you have to rely on public transportation. Making days seem longer and more exhausting. Also, sending your child to school with someone else behind the wheel sounds stressful because how do you ensure the safety of their child. Do schools follow up with attendance, and how far is too far when you want to make sure your child gets the attention they deserve.
In the beginning, the participants noted that they felt the duty of an IEP meeting fell to the special education teacher. IEP meetings are supposed to incorporate a diverse group of educators, support staff, and parents. While the special education teacher might facilitate the IEP process, they are not always with the student to monitor them and see if their accommodations are effective. Another barrier was that the adults did not think that elementary school students could possess self-determination skills or that they could advocate for
Inclusion of all students in classrooms has been an ongoing issue for the past twenty-five years (Noll, 2013). The controversy is should special education students be placed in an inclusion setting or should they be placed in a special education classroom? If the answer is yes to all special education students being placed in inclusion, then how should the inclusion model look? Every students is to receive a free an appropriate education. According to the Individual Education Act (IDEA), all students should be placed in the Least Restrictive Learning Environment (Noll, 2013).
There are many things that need to be included in an IEP. There are the obvious things like the students name and identifying information. Also, the date that the special services will begin, where the services will be delivered, and the duration to which these services will extend. Places to which these services can be administered include schools, homes, and/or hospitals. The age for which services can begin are at the age of 3 and end at the age of 21. Another thing that will be included in the IEP is a statement of the child’s present academic achievement and functional performance. This may include how the child’s disability affects his/her performance in the general education classroom, or how a child may be unable to participate in certain activities. After identifying the child’s problems in the general education curriculum, goals can be put into place. These goals include both academic and functional goals that are designed to allow the child to progress in the general education curriculum. There must also be assessment information in the IEP. This information includes
The role of parent involvement is the IEP process is essential and changes as children get older. Even with older students, teachers need to understand and be aware that parents are their child’s first teacher and they have information about their student’s abilities that we may not see in school. According to Katz, in order to have a successful IEP team, it must be built upon foundation of trust, empathy, and mutual respect. I believe that getting parents involved in their child’s education needs to start as early as possible. The more parents, teachers, specialist, and when appropriate students work together the more students with disabilities will succeed in school.