PROGRAMMING IN THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT

Jonesport School Department shall program for students with disabilities in the least restrictive educational environment that can appropriately address the student’s needs. Toward that end, the school unit shall ensure that, to the maximum extent appropriate, students with disabilities are educated with students who are not disabled, and that special education, separate schooling or other removal of students with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.

Determinations regarding programming in the least restrictive environment shall be made by the student’s Pupil Evaluation Team (PET) and shall draw upon a multidisciplinary assessment of the student’s needs. The school unit shall make available, as appropriate, the full continuum of educational placements when making placement determinations.

The Superintendent, in consultation with Director of Special Education, may develop and promulgate procedures for implementing this policy and may, from time to time, amend those procedures as necessary.

Legal Reference: 20 U.S.C. § 1412(a)(5)
                          34 CFR §§ 300.550-.552
                          Me. Dept. of Ed. Reg. ch. 101 §§ 11.1-11.3 (Nov. 1999)

DATE ADOPTED: July 1, 2003