The teacher crouches down to talk to one student in the class.

Current as of September 2022
This information in Spanish | Esta información en español

Where will a student with a disability receive his or her special education and related services? IDEA requires placement in the least restrictive environment (LRE) for each child, a setting that is based on the child’s IEP. Use the options and paths below to find out more about:

  • who decides placement;
  • how they decide it;
  • what LRE is and why it’s a foundation element in IDEA and in deciding a child’s placement; and
  • how placement can be affected if a child with a disability violates certain codes of student content.

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Placement, Short-and-Sweet
Placement, in overview. Here are the basics, if you please.

Considering LRE in Placement Decisions
LRE–least restrictive environment–is a foundational principle in IDEA. What is LRE, and how does it shape placement decisions? This discussion takes a detailed look.

Starter Set of Resources on LRE
Looking for information, resources, and technical assistance to help you and others support children with disabilities in their least restrictive environment in school? Here’s a starter list of places to look online.

School Inclusion
Looking for information about, and best practices for, the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classrooms and in the daily activities of school?

Placement and School Discipline
How is a child’s placement affected when he or she is being disciplined for a violation of the student code? Find out what authority school personnel have to remove a child from his or her current placement, what authority the hearing officer has, what constitutes a change of placement, and what placement the child will have during any appeal.

Discipline, in Detail
Here are all the details on IDEA’s discipline procedures, which guide how schools respond to behavioral infractions of children with disabilities.

IDEA’s Disciplinary Regulations
Not a summary of IDEA’s disciplinary procedures. Oh no, these are the real thing.