Least Restrictive Environment

A clear understanding of judicial opinions is essential to individuals responsible for providing children with disabilities with an appropriate program within a least restrictive environment (LRE). To assist in achieving this understanding, the purpose of this paper was twofold: (a) to identify and delineate the LRE standards established within federal circuit courts and (b) to create an alternative, more comprehensive, standard that reflects the explicit mandates of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990. In addition to a current overview of LRE court decisions and specific legal issues, the similarities and differences of four standards are discussed.