Introduction

I have been servicing special education students for thirteen years in a Title I school. In those years, I have taught ED, LD, MR and autistic children mostly within a self contained setting.  However, most schools systems have moved towards a more collaborative style approach. This means that the special education students are being mainstreamed into the regular Ed setting to receive their services. In order for this to take place, the childs IEP must be doccumented in the LRE section stating that the child will be co-taught in the regular Ed classes with the support of the special education teacher.

This actually has become a major issue within the schools among the general education teachers. In my opinion, for many of the special education students its a blessing to have them in a more collaborative setting. This would be beneficial because they would be better prepared for the real world following graduation. The problem that has grown over the past three years deals with regular education teachers frowning on, as well as being non-supportive of collaboration in regards to mainstreaming special needs children into the general Ed classes. They state that its a disruption to the learning environment. They also state that too much assistance and attention would be spent with that one child, which will cause a disservice to those who are trying to learn.The last I heard, the IEP was a legal document which everyone involved must follow. Therefore, if the IEP states that the child will be serviced in all regular education classes with the support of the special ed teacher, that's the final say!