IDEA

Like many topics in special education, LRE must be determined by a team with the
guidance provided by IDEA. There is not always a clear cut answer. As such, the field’s
knowledge and understanding of LRE continue to develop. One major avenue to
clarification is through the court system and legal findings. Decisions by Circuit,
appellate, even the Supreme Court have regularly shifted the special education world.
All educators must stay up-to-date on what the courts are saying regarding students’
rights under IDEA.
Based on the information you have learned regarding Least Restrictive Environment,
research and identify three court cases that have helped to shape the field’s
understanding of LRE (there are far more than three). Each court case analysis should
include the following information — identification of the case, background information
regarding the parties involved, the findings of the court, and the effect of the field’s
understanding of LRE as a result. As you are sharing this information, be sure to not
just copy-paste the information or to turn in an assignment where the majority of your
submission is directly quoted. Demonstrate your understanding of the case and its
impact on LRE by paraphrasing what you have reviewed. For quoted and paraphrased
information, be sure that you provide proper citations.
Please be mindful of grammar, spelling, and punctuation as you write. Be sure to use
your own words to report what you find.