APPENDIX A: Guideline Statement – Least Restrictive Environment
It is the philosophy of the Desert Mountain Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) that all individuals with exceptional needs shall be provided a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. This philosophy is in accordance with state and federal mandates and specifically includes changes that were made in the provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which addresses issues of education of students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment. A full continuum of program options is available for educational placement of students with disabilities. Program options shall provide a spectrum of educational offerings, which range from regular alternatives to a site structured to deliver intense and specialized services. The Individualized Education Program (IEP) team remains the primary decision-making body in determining the individual needs of students and the appropriate placement for them. A strong preference for educating students with disabilities in general education classes with appropriate aids and services is made to ensure that students with disabilities participate in meaningful academic and extracurricular activities, including meals, recess periods, and other activities, as much as possible. The student’s instructional program includes the core curriculum as well as the specific goals and objectives of the IEP. Instruction as well as coordination of instruction will vary depending upon the concepts and skills being taught. The instruction may take place in the regular classroom, special education classroom, or community environment. Students with low-incidence disabilities receive services consistent with the state guidelines and students, including those who are ethnically and culturally diverse, are referred after general education modifications are deemed to be not appropriate. They are identified and served in special education in accordance with appropriate legal assessment standards. The SELPA staff and LEA program administrators review programs on a regular basis to determine whether or not a disproportionate representation exists. If the IEP team determines support to staff is necessary, then those services must be delineated in the student’s IEP. Such services may include, but are not limited to, professional learning activities including disability awareness in-services, classroom visitations, and training in appropriately developed curricular programs. If the IEP team determines that the student requires supplemental aids or services, then those services must also be delineated in the student’s IEP and provided to the student. Such reports may include, but are not limited to, Braille instruction, positive behavioral interventions, communication aids, assistive technology devices and services, language supports, related services, curricular modifications or adaptations, and classroom assistant support. If it is determined that a student with a disability cannot be educated satisfactorily in the general education classroom even for some portion of the school day, then the student’s IEP team must
Chapter 5 – Supports and Services, Desert/Mountain SELPA As of 10/18/19 D/M SELPA Steering Committee Approval
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