Transcript [pdf]

SHOW NOTES

What This Episode Is About

Families and educators are still being told that a student cannot be included in general education because they need a paraprofessional — and that this somehow makes inclusion more restrictive than a self-contained setting.

That statement is legally incorrect and deeply harmful to inclusive practice.

In this episode, Julie and Kristie unpack where this misunderstanding comes from, why it keeps showing up in IEP meetings, and how teams can correct it calmly and confidently.

Key Takeaways

• • A paraprofessional is a supplementary aid or service, not a placement or environment.
    
  • Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) is determined by access to general education content, curriculum, and peers — not by whether a student has adult support.
    
  • Needing help does not make an environment more restrictive. Removing a student from peers does.
    
  • Supports and placement are two separate decisions — and confusing them leads to unnecessary segregation.
    
  • Inclusion starts in general education. We add supports to make it successful; we don’t remove students because they need them.

Answering the Question We Hear Most Often

Does having a paraprofessional make a general education classroom more restrictive?

No.

The presence of a paraprofessional does not increase restrictiveness.

Restrictiveness is about where a student learns and who they learn with, not who supports them.

A general education classroom with appropriate supports is, by definition, less restrictive than a separate or self-contained setting.

Common Misunderstandings This Episode Clears Up

“We place students with paras.”
→ No. We support students with paras. 

“Students can’t be included because they need too much help.”
→ Students can be included with help. That’s the purpose of special education.

“The para makes the setting restrictive.”
→ What makes a setting restrictive is removal from general education, not support within it.

Episode Download / Handout

A Paraprofessional Is Not an Environment

This clear, team-friendly handout helps educators and families separate placement decisions from support decisions — and gives you language you can actually use in meetings.

Inside the download:

• • A plain-language explanation of Least Restrictive Environment 
  • The difference between settings and supports
  • Common myths vs. inclusive truths
  • The role of paraprofessionals as a support (a verb), not a placement
  • Reflection questions and ready-to-use language for IEP conversations

Why download it?

Because this misunderstanding keeps showing up — and when it does, students lose access. This tool helps teams pause, reset the conversation, and make decisions that align with both the law and inclusive values.

👉 Download at inclusiveschooling.com/download64 

Practical Tips for IEP Teams and Leaders

• • Separate the questions. First ask where the student has the most access to peers and curriculum. Then decide what supports are needed. 
  • Bring supports to the student. Don’t move students because support is required — make support portable.
  • Train paraprofessionals for independence. Adult support should increase access and autonomy, not create dependence or separation.
  • Listen for red flags. If you hear “they can’t be included because they need a para,” stop and reset the conversation.
  • Use shared language. Simple phrases like “Are we confusing support with setting?” can shift an entire meeting.

Additional Resources 

3 Reasons Why We Won’t Be Hiring More Paraprofessionals: This resource challenges the common assumption that hiring more paraprofessionals is the best response to increasing student needs, drawing on over 20 years of research to highlight unintended negative consequences for students, educators, and systems. It explains how overreliance on paraprofessionals can reduce teacher engagement, limit student belonging and agency, and act as a costly band-aid for deeper instructional and systemic issues. The piece offers a practical, relationship-centered alternative — using an “I agree” strategy — to support educators through training, collaboration, and more sustainable inclusive practices. 

Inclusion Podcast Episode 31- Understanding LRE and its Role in Supporting All Learners: This episode unpacks the concept of Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) and its essential role in fostering truly inclusive classrooms, emphasizing that students with disabilities should be educated alongside their non-disabled peers whenever possible. Through real stories and practical strategies, the hosts explore how schools can thoughtfully use supports and services before considering more restrictive placements, reframing challenging behaviors as opportunities for growth rather than exclusion. Listeners will come away with actionable insights for implementing LRE principles in their own educational settings and a free checklist of supplementary aids to support all learners. 

Inclusion Podcast Episode 63- We’re Doing Breaks Wrong — And It’s Backfiring: This episode challenges the default practice of sending students out of class for breaks, explaining how well-intentioned adult-led removals can unintentionally reduce access to instruction, belonging, and opportunities to build regulation skills. Instead, Julie and Kristie advocate for in-class “stay-put” support strategies that help students regulate right where learning happens, preserving peer connection and instructional time. Practical takeaways include offering choice, portable regulation tools, and teaching regulation routines explicitly to avoid patterns where students learn that relief only comes from leaving the classroom. 

120 Ways for Paraprofessionals Can Support Students: This practical guide offers 120 concrete, inclusive ways paraprofessionals can support students in virtual and blended learning environments without creating dependence or unintentionally pulling students away from peers and instruction. Organized across the learning cycle (before, during, and after lessons), it emphasizes teaching skills, fostering peer connection, supporting regulation, and providing “invisible” supports that preserve dignity, agency, and belonging. The resource reframes the paraprofessional role as one that strengthens classrooms and teams as a whole, positioning paras as essential partners in building sustainable, inclusive systems rather than one-to-one fixes. 

Individuals with Disabilities Act Web Site: This official U.S. Department of Education page provides direct access to the full text of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) statute and the federal regulations that implement it, allowing users to explore the law’s parts and requirements in detail. It organizes IDEA into four major sections — general provisions, support for school-aged children, early intervention for infants and toddlers, and national activities — and links to indexed and printable versions of the statute and regulations. By serving as a central statutory and regulatory reference, the site helps educators, administrators, and families understand the legal foundation for special education rights, obligations, and procedural safeguards under IDEA. 

Support is a Verb: What Inclusive Teams Do: This resource reframes inclusion by asserting that support is not a service or placement, but a set of intentional actions educators take every day to ensure all students belong and succeed. Organized across 13 evidence-informed categories, it offers concrete, practical strategies inclusive teams can immediately use to proactively build support into instruction, environments, relationships, and systems. By treating support as something we do — not something students get — the guide helps schools move inclusion from an abstract goal to a consistent, lived practice. 

Is My Support Actually Supportive?: This reflective tool helps educators examine whether the support they provide truly promotes dignity, independence, and belonging or unintentionally creates dependence, stigma, or barriers. Grounded in the “Golden Rule” of support, it offers 30 practical questions that prompt teams to consider student voice, privacy, peer relationships, and plans for fading adult assistance. By encouraging educators to pause, redesign tasks, and right-size support, the resource centers inclusive practices that feel respectful, empowering, and “just right” for students. 

Inclusion Podcast Episode 49- Support is a Verb — Not a Human: This episode reframes support as an active process — something educators do through specific, thoughtful actions — rather than a static placement or category. It clarifies common misconceptions about support, highlighting how well-intentioned practices can unintentionally create dependence, stigma, or barriers when they’re not rooted in dignity, agency, and inclusion. By outlining key principles and practical examples, the piece helps educators shift toward support that genuinely enhances access, belonging, and student competence.

Checklist of Sample Supplemental Supports, Aids, and Services: This comprehensive checklist helps teams thoughtfully identify supplemental supports, aids, and services that are inclusive, least intrusive, and responsive to individual student needs. Organized across environments, instruction, materials, interactions, assessment, assistive technology, and staffing, it encourages teams to start with natural classroom supports before considering more intensive or adult-dependent interventions. Designed to guide collaborative problem-solving, the tool supports decisions that prioritize dignity, access, and meaningful participation for every learner. 

10 Ways School Leaders Can Shift Mindsets towards Inclusion: This practical guide offers school leaders clear, actionable ways to advance inclusive mindsets by strengthening communication, clarifying expectations, and leading with purpose and consistency. It emphasizes compassionate leadership and intentional practices that help teams move beyond surface compliance toward a deeper, shared commitment to meaningful inclusion. By focusing on mindset shifts rather than just procedures, the resource supports leaders in creating school cultures where every student is valued and well-served. 

Inclusion Podcast Episode 55- Paraprofessionals: How to Hide in Plain Sight: This episode guides educators in using paraprofessionals in ways that support student access, agency, and connection without overshadowing instruction or creating dependence. It shares practical strategies for making adult support invisible — positioning paras to collaborate with teachers, circulate the room, and prompt student success subtly and respectfully. By focusing on intentional placement and purposeful actions, the piece helps teams strengthen inclusive practices that keep students centrally engaged with peers and learning.

Least Restrictive Environment Family Resource Guide: This Family Toolkit Resource Guide from Early CHOICES equips families of young children with disabilities to understand and advocate for inclusion in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) within early childhood education settings. It bundles practical resources — from inclusion brochures and on-demand learning modules to checklists and federal guidance — with QR links and explanations to make navigating the system easier. The guide highlights the benefits of inclusive settings for all children, offers tools to prepare for IEP meetings, and clarifies families’ rights under federal law to support meaningful inclusion.

Access Points for Common Activities: This handout offers practical guidance on creating multiple access points in everyday classroom activities so that all learners — including those with diverse abilities — can meaningfully engage with content, peers, and expectations. It highlights ways educators can differentiate instruction and embed supports into common activities rather than relying on separate adaptations, helping make inclusion real and actionable. The resource aligns with the broader Inclusive Schooling philosophy of equity and universal design for learning, showing how flexible entry points into learning tasks support participation and success for every student. By focusing on access rather than segregation, this tool helps shift instructional planning toward inclusion-driven practice. 

101 Ways to Incorporate Choice in Learning: This free download offers educators 101 concrete strategies for embedding meaningful choice and voice into everyday learning experiences, empowering students to take ownership of their education and engage more deeply with content and peers. By providing a wide array of options for how students access, process, and express learning, the resource supports differentiated instruction and honors diverse strengths, interests, and needs in inclusive classrooms. It underscores how choice enhances motivation, independence, creativity, and a sense of belonging for all learners. Overall, this guide helps teachers move beyond one-size-fits-all instruction toward more personalized, equitable practices that benefit the full range of students.