Placement Options in Special Education

New Jersey law requires schools to maintain what's called a "continuum of placements." This means they must provide a range of educational options to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities. This approach recognizes that students with disabilities have varying needs that require different levels of support and specialized services. Your child's Individual Education Program (IEP) team, which includes the parent, must offer placement options to appropriately match your child's individual requirements with the most suitable learning environment(s).

Importantly, your child has the right to participate in multiple settings based on their individual needs. Your child's placement should be based on their IEP and must be reviewed at least annually. The school cannot remove your child from general education classes solely because they need curriculum modifications.

Here are some common terms for the placement options your child has a right to access:

• Inclusive Setting: This is where your child learns in a general education classroom alongside students without disabilities. In this environment, your child participates fully in the general education curriculum while receiving necessary support services and modifications within the regular classroom. 
• Push-In Services: In this model, special education teachers or specialists come directly into the general education classroom to provide support while your child remains with their peers. This might involve co-teaching or individual support within the regular classroom setting for one or more subjects or support services, allowing your child to receive specialized help without being separated from their classmates.
• Pull-Out Services: With this approach, your child leaves the general education classroom for specific periods to receive specialized instruction in a separate resource room. This might happen for certain subjects or specific support services, after which your child returns to the general education classroom for the rest of their subjects.
• Self-Contained: This means a special class specifically designed for students with disabilities, taught by a special education teacher. These classrooms typically have smaller class sizes and provide more intensive support.  This setting is used when students need more specialized instruction that cannot be effectively provided in the general education setting.
• Special Education Programs: This means programs out of the student’s home district, including another district, county vocational district, rehabilitation program, medical institutions, non-public school approved for students with disabilities, non-public or out-of-state programs in special circumstances, residential, home instruction, or other settings. One of these settings may be appropriate if the district cannot offer a proper in-district program. 

In any of these settings, your child may receive various supplementary aids and services, including:

• Curricular or instructional modifications
• Specialized instructional strategies
• Assistive technology devices and services
• Teacher aides
• Related services
• Integrated therapies
• Consultation services
• In-class resource programs

To help ensure your child receives appropriate placement:

• Actively participate in IEP meetings
• Request detailed explanations of proposed placements
• Review your child's progress regularly
• Ensure decisions are based on your child's individual needs
• Remember that your child can participate in multiple settings if needed

Consider consulting an attorney if:

• Your child's placement decisions appear to be based on administrative convenience rather than individual needs
• The school refuses to consider less restrictive alternatives
• Your child is being removed from general education without proper justification

Relevant laws:

• N.J.A.C. 6A:14-4.2 (Placement in the least restrictive environment)
• N.J.A.C. 6A:14-4.3 (Program options)