Least restrictive environment (LRE): What you need to know Amanda Morin By Amanda Morin At a Glance Least restrictive environment (LRE) isn’t a place; it’s a principle that guides your child’s educational program. Special education law says your child should be learning with peers. When LRE comes up, so do the words mainstreaming and inclusion. When your child’s (IEP) team meets, it talks about many things. That includes your child’s areas of strength, areas of weakness and present level of performance . The team also talks about the “least restrictive environment,” or LRE, for your child’s education. The word “environment” makes LRE sound like a place. But it actually is more about your child’s educational program. Where your child learns is only one piece of the program. Least restrictive environment (LRE) LRE is part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA says that children who receive should learn in the least restrictive environment. This means they should spend as much time as possible with peers who do not receive special education. IDEA says two things about LRE that are important to understand when working with the IEP team: Your child should be with kids in general education to the “maximum extent that is appropriate.” Special classes, separate schools, or removal from the general education class should only happen when your child’s learning or thinking difference — a “disability” under IDEA — is so severe that supplementary aids and services can’t provide your child with an appropriate education. A key word here is appropriate. It refers to what’s suitable or right for your child. Sometimes, putting a child in a general education classroom isn’t suitable because a specific service or program can’t be provided there. Mainstreaming and inclusion When LRE comes up, so do the words mainstreaming and inclusion. Many people think these terms mean the same thing, but they’re slightly different. A mainstream classroom is a general education classroom. Mainstreaming means putting your child with special education needs in the general education classroom for some or most of the day. Your child may also have some instruction in a special education classroom.