From our friends at The Arc of King County:
Last year, Seattle Public Schools had 707 students in LRE 3, the most segregated in-district placement for students with disabilities. Of those students, 38% were Black.
"LRE" is short for least restricted environment. LRE 1 is a lot of time (80%) in general education. LRE 2 is some (40% to 79%). LRE 3 is none-to-hardly (0 to 39%).
“Special education” is a collection of services, not a place. But for Black students with disabilities, it often means a place. And that is NOT with peers in the general education setting.
A request is going around asking community members to weigh in on negotiations between Seattle Public Schools and its unions. The request is specific to special education settings.
We don’t have a position on how Seattle should organize its staffing other than it needs to be sufficient to uphold student rights to least restricted environment and all staff should understand and use inclusive practices.
And that involves more than ratios. It means sufficient staffing – including OT/PT/SLP therapists, psychologists, and other professionals needed to provide special education services – AND focused work to end exclusionary practices. When we design and resource to be accessible and inclusive, all students thrive.
Given the huge disproportionality of who is most segregated and excluded, we hope Seattle Public Schools addresses the issue with urgency.
Black students making up 38% of the most segregated placement – when they are just 15% of the student body – is incredibly problematic. It is an indication that unfounded fear and racial bias influence decisions around placement in Seattle schools.
Students should not be removed from peers because it is convenient for the staffing model. Nor should spending more time in general education mean losing access to support.
In our graphic, we break down the percentage of Black students in LRE 1, 2, and 3 in Seattle Public Schools. The data comes from the state’s Inclusionary Practices Technical Network. The IPTN supports school districts to dismantle exclusionary practices, focusing on Black students with disabilities and students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The Arc of King County is an IPTN member and provides assistance to families and schools. Learn more about inclusionary practices and access resources the Arc created for the IPTN.
