1. Welcome to Section 504 Made Easy
Have this up while everyone is coming in and getting ready to start.
Created by Julie Combs At Risk Coordinator

2. Objectives
Gain basic understanding of 504 Law and how it translates to teachers in the classroom
Understand the differences in Accommodations and Modifications
Clear up misconceptions about who should be considered disabled according to 504 law.
Provide tips for managing 504 accommodations.

3. The Federal Government in an effort to protect individuals with disabilities passed laws that prohibit any group that receives federal funding from discriminating against people who have been identified as disabled.
A portion of this law applies specifically to students in public schools. This part of the law is called section 504.

4. Everyone has a right to Free Appropriate Public Education
The law in a nutshell states that everyone is entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education. And it is the school’s responsibility to make sure all students get it, no matter what their disability may be.
The Office for Civil Rights is the agency that polices public institutions that receive federal funding to make sure they do not discriminate against individuals who are considered disabled based on the definition of the law.
They also determine what a Free Appropriate Public Education is.
Free – meaning it is at no cost to the parent
Appropriate – meaning the education provided meets the needs of the individual student as well as it meets the needs of students without disabilities.
Public – meaning it is provided as part of public education and not a private institution. (receives funding from government)

5. Read each statement and mark T or F for each one.
Let’s See What You Know
Read each statement and mark T or F for each one.

6. As you can see from this, many questions have to be answered where 504 is concerned. The first question that must be answered is……..

7. Who is disabled?
The law says anyone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity is considered disabled.
It also states that anyone who is considered to have such an impairment can also be disabled.
To a lawyer specializing in Civil Rights this makes perfect sense. For the rest of us, it can be a little tough to understand without some guidance.
So what does that mean to us?
Lets break it down into parts so it is easier to understand.

8. Two things have to be present
The impairment must SUBSTANTIALLY limit a major life activity or major body function.
Who decides?
The person must have a physical or mental impairment.
Who decides?
It takes a team of people to determine if a child is disabled or not. The decision is based on two criteria.
A physical or mental impairment must exist.
The impairment must substantially limit a major life activity or a major body function.

9. Sometimes it is easy to see what the disability is, and understand how that disability Substantially Limits an individual from participating in a major life activity. Clearly each of these students is substantially limited. What major life activity is affected by their impairments?
Walking, carrying, lifting, writing, seeing, caring for ones self,
The list is not finite so we could go on and on. This can also create confusion because the OCR refuses to limit the list of Major life activities or Major body functions. They won’t because they don’t want to accidentally exclude anyone who might truly be disabled and need protection.
Obvious Disabilities

10. Obvious Disabilities Not So
Diabetes ADHD ODD Severe Test Anxiety Dyslexia Bi-Polar Disorder Aspergers Autism PTSD
While some disabilities are easy to understand how they limit an individual, others are more difficult to understand.
We must accommodate all individuals with disabilities so that they have access to the same value of education as their peers without disabilities.
In fact, in some instances the purpose of the 504 plan is to provide procedural protections to a student who is substantially limited by their impairment, but don’t require accommodations at this time to be successful. An example of this would be a student with Cancer that is in remission. They still are substantially limited in the major body function of cell growth, but currently they only need the procedural safeguards.

11. True Story
Teacher walks into her classroom and notices there is an unpleasant odor. She goes to the closet and grabs the aerosol air freshener and starts spraying it around the room.
One of her students starts waving her hands and shaking her head, then grabs her throat and stops breathing.
Teacher call the office, they call 911, the child is rushed to the emergency room and almost died.
It was early in the year, the child had a 504 plan from the previous year, but had not had a review meeting yet.
How could this have been prevented?

12. Know your Students!
What prevents us from knowing something so important like a child having a life threatening allergy?
Is it realistic to assume you will have students in your classroom who have life threatening allergies or illnesses?
Ultimately the teacher in the room with the child is the one who is responsible for knowing how to protect them from harm. Imagine how you would feel if this had happened to you. Use the 504 procedure to prevent this from happening to you.
Look in the cumulative record for students with a red folder. Talk to the guidance department or the nurse to find out about allergies and other impairments. Check the Black 504 Binder on the filing cabinets that house the cumulative records.

13. Now that we know a little more about who needs a 504 plan, lets talk about how to manage the information.

14. What Can Help You? PowerSchool Symbols Cum Folder Look for Red!
Guidance department
School Nurse
Parents
Our district provides many resources to help with identifying students who may be at risk and either need a 504 plan or already have one.
Keep a list of students who have allergies, IEP, 504 plans in a secure location that is accessible to you and a substitute.

15. Get the Most Out of PowerSchool
Document accommodations you make for students by using the score inspector feature in power school by either right clicking on a grade cell, or going to tools and selecting score inspector.

16. Here is an example of how you can document very easily what accommodations you have provided to a student on an assignment. The grade shows up as a link in power school when the student or parents log in so they are aware of any special notes about an assignment. It also provide you with a record of how many times you made special accommodations for students.
This is especially helpful in the upper grades when you have over 100 students to keep track of.

17. Lets Talk Accommodations!
When you are invited to a 504 meeting, it is your chance to weigh in on how the child is doing, what accommodations you think are reasonable, and what accommodations are not.
You can and should impact what accommodations are used.
What things should you keep in mind when determining what accommodations to use?
Keep the End in mind (don’t want an accommodation junkie graduating from high school)
Least restrictive (do what is necessary, no more)
Start small and build (less is more, you can always add more later)
Is it reasonable? Will it work in your setting?
How will you document it was done?
Does it level the playing field or give an advantage?

18. Accommodation VS. Modification
Let’s see what you know about accommodations vs. Modifications. Look at the list of Accommodations and Modifications. Indicate with an M or A which each one is in your opinion.
Go over with the group. Discuss….
Accommodations are things that level the playing field for students with disabilities. A ramp is an obvious accommodation for someone in a wheelchair to have access to areas their non-disabled peers have access to.
Modifications are changes that make a whole new game. Modifications are changes in the content of what is being learned. Would a blind student who is on grade level and has no learning disabilities need a lower reading level? No, they would just need either braille or an audio text delivery.
Would a student with severe brain damage be any more academically successful if given more time on a test that is 4 grade levels above their ability? No, they need a modified curriculum, not an accommodation.
Modifications are provided to students who have an IEP. Accommodations are for any student, not just those with a 504 plan.
You might think it is better not to make any accommodations for students because if you are making accommodations and the student is referred for a 504 plan then they will not appear to be substantially limited when being evaluated. This is one reason why it is so important for all teachers to document accommodations they make for their students and to participate in the 504 process. Remember the student we discussed earlier who was making good grades, but his teacher was making many accommodation for him. What happens when he moves?
Accommodation VS. Modification

19. Try not to overthink 504.
Accommodations are just things we do for our students to help them be successful. Any child in your room who is struggling should be accommodated if possible. We make accommodations all the time and don’t even realize it. Letting the child who is obviously not feeling well lay their head on their desk is an accommodation. Arranging students in a seating chart to help them concentrate by keeping them away from distractions is an accommodation. Letting a student go to the restroom outside of the normal break times is an accommodation.
Keeping track of what accommodations you are already doing for students to help them be successful, and what accommodations are required by a 504 plan can be difficult, but you can do it if you have a plan and stick to it.

20. Tips to Help Manage Information
Keep a seating chart for each class and use it to remind yourself and substitutes which students have special needs. To keep sensitive information confidential, use a symbol beside names and have a key nearby for subs to refer to. You will remember by seeing the symbol because you see the student daily but a sub will need a key.
Use powerschool to document accommodations.
Use Powerschool to identify students who have special needs/conditions.
Keep in contact with parents and guidance and looks over the education files of your students.

21. Things to Remember about 504
Legal Document just like an IEP
Accommodation Plans are written as a team, don’t miss your opportunity to voice what accommodations should be in place Go to the meetings!
Accommodations are not just for academic needs, sometimes it can be as simple as letting a child leave a minute early to get to class or carry water with them.

22. Continued…
Students with a 504 plan have a right to privacy so be discreet.
All students can have accommodations to help them be successful. (It’s the right thing to do!)
If a child is not succeeding with the current accommodations, then the plan needs to be revisited quickly to make appropriate changes.

23. Resources http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/sec504.index.htm
Each building has an administrator and another person who are the 504 points of contact. If you have questions or concerns during the year about 504, check with them.
Keep in mind that as new cases are heard relating to 504 the interpretation of the law can mean changes for us. The most important things we can do is understand our district’s procedure and follow through with them.
Your building points of contact have been trained and are prepared to follow the procedures. Your biggest responsibility is to be at meetings, voice your opinions, know your students, and document accommodations when necessary.