Rebecca G. Clark
Chicago Public Schools
Office of Specialized Services
125 South Clark Street, 8th Floor
Telephone: 773.553.1840

COREY H. UPDATE

The Chicago Board had hoped that court intervention under the Corey H. lawsuit would end on January 16, 2006. However, that has not happened. The matter remains in litigation and we will update school staff regarding the progress of the litigation. In the interim, Judge Robert Gettlemen of the United States District Court has entered an order requiring the Chicago Public Schools to maintain the status quo on all initiatives covered by the Corey H. settlement agreement.

All schools in the Education Connection program are expected to continue implementing the LRE plan and all schools involved in the ISBE LRE monitoring program are expected to continue implementing the LRE Continuous Improvement Plan. The LRE funds are available and the schools are expected to utilize these funds.

All staff is expected to fully cooperate with the CPS Office of Specialized Services and Law Department staff as well as staff from the court monitor's office and Illinois State Board of Education.

The Chicago Public Schools is dedicated to providing all its students with disabilities a free appropriate education in the least restrictive environment.

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LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT

Pursuant to the court supervised settlement agreements in the Corey H. case, consultants were selected through Education Connection's request for qualifications or were selected by the Illinois State Board of Education. These consultants provide technical support to staff and school community members in various areas relating to Least Restrictive Environment and provide services that address the educational needs for CPS schools.

Education Connection Resource Catalog 2008

EC/ISBE Program Forms:
Budget Plan Form / Design Grant Application

Consultant:
Service Description / Prep-time Justification / Site Verification

Links to Resources

LRE Administrative Procedures

LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVES

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates that to the 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. To the maximum extent appropriate, students with disabilities should be educated where they would be educated if not disabled. Special classes, separate schools or other removal of students with disabilities from the regular educational environment should occur only when the nature of severity of the disability of the child is such that education in general education classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily. A student with disabilities may not be removed from the age-appropriate general education classrooms solely because of needed modifications to the general education curriculum. This is commonly referred to as the least restrictive environment (LRE) mandate.

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Corey H. Lawsuit

In 1992, a class action lawsuit was filed against the Chicago Board and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) alleging that students with disabilities in the Chicago Public Schools were not being educated in the least restrictive environment as mandated by IDEA. This lawsuit is commonly referred to as the "Corey H." lawsuit. The Chicago Board settled the lawsuit in January 1998. The ISBE proceeded to trial, and in February 1999, the ISBE was found to have violated the LRE mandate of IDEA. The Chicago Board's settlement agreement in Corey H., in concert with other CPS initiatives and the ISBE's Corey H. settlement agreement, provides schools the opportunity to progress toward the realization of the LRE commitment for students with disabilities. The court has appointed a monitor to oversee the Chicago Board's and ISBE's compliance with the settlement agreements.

CPS Education Connection Program

To ensure individual schools are complying with the LRE mandate of IDEA and that staff understand and are prepared to implement this mandate, the Chicago Board created the Education Connection program. Each year, beginning in January 1998, thirty schools are chosen to participate in the Education Connection program. Each school develops an LRE plan that details how the school will develop, expand, and implement special education and related services that integrate students with disabilities with their non-disabled peers and provide these students with access to the general education curriculum. The Education Connection program is a three-year commitment with each school having one year to develop its LRE plan and two years within which to implement the plan. Through the Education Connection program, schools will receive $110,000 over the three years for professional development and technical assistance to help the school overcome any barriers that exist at that school in educating students with disabilities in the LRE. The professional development and training should include parents and LSC members. The court monitor's office approves the LRE plans.

ISBE Corey H. Program

Pursuant to the ISBE Corey H. settlement agreement, ISBE will conduct an LRE monitoring visit at approximately 25 schools a semester. Schools do not volunteer for an ISBE LRE visit; rather ISBE selects the schools. The monitoring visits will identify any LRE deficiencies, and the schools will then develop an LRE Continuous Improvement Plan outlining the staff development needed to address the LRE issues. As with the Education Connection program, this staff development should include parents and LSC members. The schools then have two years within which to implement the plan. ISBE LRE monitored schools receive an average of $57,000 during the two years of implementation. Schools that are participating or have completed the Education Connection program will not be selected by ISBE for an LRE monitoring visit.

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