OOLOGAH-TALALA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT-INCLUSION

Inclusion is a term currently used in discussing placement of students with disabilities. This is not a legal term, but can be replaced with the term least restrictive environment, found in the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA). IDEA stipulates that children with disabilities must be provided a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment (LRE), meaning that “to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, . . . are educated with nondisabled children.”

Inclusion is supporting students with and without disabilities in academic and social settings in their neighborhood school. The amount of time to be spent in the regular education classroom will be determined by the IEP team for each individual student.

This school district supports responsible placement of students in the least restrictive environment, which includes the following:

* placing students with disabilities in regular education settings in the least restrictive environment in accordance with individual needs;

* placing students with disabilities in regular education in numbers that do not reduce the natural proportions of regular classrooms;

* providing educational and social opportunities for students with disabilities equal to those of their peers;

* teaching students with and without disabilities how to appreciate similarities and differences among individuals;

* providing supplementary aids and services in the regular educational environment;

* sharing resources, skills, and time;

* sharing educational responsibilities for students with disabilities;

* providing a positive climate in which positive attitudes prevail;

* realizing that the student with disabilities belongs within the regular environment and should receive appropriate support services within school and community settings;

* realizing that students with disabilities may be included in a classroom for either or both academic and social needs; and

* supporting a district commitment to provide professional development in the areas of inclusion and collaboration. Inclusion is Not:

* arbitrarily requiring all students with disabilities be served full-time in the regular classroom;

* serving the students with disabilities in regular environments without a planned support system in place, perhaps including a student specific Inclusion Plan;

* presenting content area instruction to students with disabilities without necessary modifications; and

* evaluating individual student progress without allowing for necessary modification of evaluation procedures. This school district will comply with all applicable state and federal laws concerning placement of students in a least restrictive environment.

Adoption Date: June 13, 2022 Revision Date(s):