What is a 504?The Rehabilitation Act 1973, section 504, a civil rights law, prohibits discrimination on basic of disability in programs and activities, public and private that receive federal financial assistance.A 504 Plan removes barriers that would prevent a student form full participation in programs or services offered to the general school population.

Why would I want a 504 Plan?If your child is struggling in school, has poor grades, not keeping up with the other students, frustrated, acting out, and you feel if they were given some additional services or accommodations such as extra time for assignments, extra books for home, highlighted text books, enlarged print, positive reinforcement, note taking/scribe, oral test, reduced homework, extra time given for changing classes, time allotted for medical needs, preferred seating, behavior interventions, they would be more successful.

Who is covered?When a student with an impairment or disability, a long –term illness, various disorder that would impact any of life’s major activities, including walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing ,learning, working ,caring for one self ,or performing manual task.Examples of students that could be covered by a 504 Plan: ADD, ADHD, Diabetes, Epilepsy, Allergies, Chronic Asthma, Digestive disorders, Learning Disabilities, Cardiovascular disorders, broken bones, etc.

What is the process to qualify?Once a concern has been identified about the students performance and intervention have been tried, then if the student stills doesn’t make progress they should be referred for an evaluation. A referral form for consideration for a 504 Plan is completed and given to the principal/designee of the school. A referral can be completed by a guardian/parent, teacher or counselor. Any additional information from a doctor, therapist or other individual knowledgeable about the student will help make the referral go smoother. A written consent is not needed from the guardian/parent for an evaluation but most schools will give written notice.

A 504 Team Form to evaluate documents.Formalized testing is not needed. The 504 team pulls together information such as grades, teacher reports, information from parents or other agencies, attendance records, health information, etc. The 504 team then reviews the documents to determine if the interventions that were used have worked or if there are additional interventions/accommodations needed. Over a period of several weeks, the team should monitor to see how the student has done. They need to determine if the interventions/accommodations were effective. The team looks at all factors that could impact student learning which may not have anything to do with school or with the disability such as diet, family issues, etc.

PlacementPlacement is in regular classroom with support services to eliminate barriers to the educational experience.If the student continues to have problems with the accommodation and it is the result of a disability they should be referred for evaluation under IDEA.

This document was developed with funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)/Maternal and Child Health Bureau(MCHB)/Division of Services for Children with Special Health Needs (DSCSHN), through grant # H84MC12897