What is inclusion and how does it relate to LRE?
The Least Restrictive Environment requirement is the legal basis for inclusion programs because inclusion is a means of educating students in a general education classroom to the maximum extent appropriate based on individual needs. The term “inclusion” is not used in IDEA and the Department of Education has not defined the term. However, inclusion is generally accepted to mean that primary instruction and provision of services for a child with a disability is provided in an age-appropriate general education class in the school the child would have attended if not disabled with appropriate additional supports for the student and the teacher. It may, under NYC’s New Continuum of services, consist of placement in general education with related services with SETS, or in a Collaborative Team Teaching classroom. This does not mean that a child with a disability cannot move to other settings for support services such as speech or physical therapy, or that a child must be fully included. Ther
