Three letters

Being in ESE acronym jargon is thrown around weekly.

The sad thing with this jargon is that a student can loose their identity with it. Instead of being a 6th grade boy who is bright and excels in math they become a victim to the system and perhaps even a burden to others.

They no longer have a name, but a couple of letters and numbers overtake who they are. 

Oh you know he is a K and scored a 175 in math, he's non ESOL, but he has SLD and his matrix score is an 10. The more you can add to the list the least appealing he or any other student becomes to the general education system. 

But what if we stripped students of their labels and test score numbers? What if we just taught students without really focusing on the fact that they are ESE or whatever else they are? Why should they be restricted due to how the educational system views them? I mean after all they are the ones that gave them the labels to begin with, right?

Thankfully, there are three letters that are here to help students like this receive the most appropriate and least restrictive education they deserve.

LRE

To give some background on these three letters let's have a little history lesson:

In general, to maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are not disabled, and special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability of a child is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.

//SOURCE\\

Now I'm just guessing, but removing a child after five days of being in a general education class probably is not enough time to allow him to be successful? 

And let us not forget that there have been court cases surrounding these three letters too. I suppose I'm taking this issue a little too personally, but unfortunately I am a human being with emotions that just happens to be passionate about students with disabilities. Not only am I probably overly passionate, but I was a victim of not being provided LRE in the public school system during my first couple of years in high school; so much so that I decided to become home schooled. 

For those that are still wondering what LRE is...it stands for Least Restrictive Environment

Oh and let's not forget that an IEP is a legal document.