Opinion ID: 705962
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Educational Benefits of Mainstreaming

Text: 25 The IDEA's preference for mainstreaming is not an absolute commandment. The language of 20 U.S.C. Sec. 1412(5)(B) only requires mainstreaming to the maximum extent appropriate and provides that when the nature or severity of the handicap is such that education and regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily the student may be removed to a special education environment. In this case all parties agree that Lionel's disability has created a great deficit in his ability to communicate with and understand others. Because Lionel is at a critical stage for developing these communicative skills, the district court found that he requires immediate intensive instruction in ASL so he may comprehend and understand the instruction being offered in the regular classroom. 26 In reviewing the Parker School District's decision to place Lionel at ASDB, the district court conducted an evidentiary hearing to determine the extent to which Lionel could be mainstreamed. The district court determined that because of its size and location, the Parker School District could not provide the degree of intensive ASL instruction that Lionel needs and concluded that Lionel should be placed at ASDB, the nearest facility capable of providing the requisite instruction. The court reviewed Lionel's history of mainstreaming in Idaho and heard testimony from expert witnesses as to the likely success of continued mainstreaming. The court also considered other factors including the location of the suggested placement 280 miles from home, the value of social interaction with Lionel's nondisabled friends and the influence of his Native American tribe. The district court's finding that Lionel cannot presently receive any educational benefit from full or partial mainstreaming until he has acquired greater communication skills is not clearly erroneous. It is worth noting, however, that the IDEA requires the state educational agency to update Lionel's IEP annually. Should it become apparent that his communicative skills have increased to the point that he could receive educational benefits from mainstreaming, then the IDEA requires that Lionel be placed in that environment. 27