LRE as LEE

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) is a measure built into IDEA that protects a disabled student's right to receive an education with non-disabled students whenever possible. Essentially, the student should be placed in as close to a regular setting as possible. Sometimes the least restrictive setting that is appropriate is a very restrictive setting. For instance, a high school aged student with with severe mental retardation coupled with numerous physical impairments might be best served in a separate school designed to help prepare this student to live as independently as possible. That's pretty restrictive because there are no non-disabled peers in that setting but it's probably appropriate.

Just as LRE is sometimes MCE it is also LEE - Least Expensive Environment. The district office has denied a transportation request for cab service for a student for whom we have serious safety concerns. They say it's because they are concerned that it's too restrictive and there is no data to back it up - which, by the way, is false. It seems to me that it's much cheaper to plead LRE in this case than to pony up the dough to get this kid to school in the way that is safest. If, as a parent, I knew what the situation with this students was, I wouldn't let my child ride that bus.

Update 11/20/06: This student called the bus driver a terrible name, called all the kids on the bus the same name, was reportedly harassing a female student and was reassigned to the mini-bus. Two weeks later we got a risk assessment report back from an outside agency that recommends that this student NOT attend the home school due to the high risk factor. This student has since been placed in a private therapeutic setting.

Why I oughta...

I was absent from school on Tuesday at an all day training that was actually relatively useful. Apparently, the substitute was a wheelchair user. When I came in on Wednesday a teacher said to me, "I thought it was ironic to have a substitute in a wheel chair with the behavior kids." I think she meant something about the blind leading the blind...wait, that's abelist....but you know what I mean. I wasn't sure how to respond without ruining my working relationship with her. I just said, "Oh yeah?" and let a long uncomfortable pause sit there between us. As she was walking out the door she mumbled something about chasing kids down the hall in a wheelchair. Of course, no chasing went on of any sort and everyone reported that she was quite competent.