504 Information

What is a Section 504 plan? 

Section 504 is part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 

It states, 

“No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States, as defined in section 706(b) of this title, shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance… “{29 U.S.C. 794(a), 34 C.F.R 1049 (a)}

Section 504 prohibits discrimination on the basis of a disability.

As a New York Public school, students defined as impaired may receive a Section 504 plan. As defined by federal law: “An individual with a disability means any person who: (i) has a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity; (ii) has a record of such an impairment; or (iii) is regarded as having such an impairment” {34 C.F.R 104.3 (j) (1)}

An impairment as used by Section 504 may include any disability, long-term illness or disorder that substantially reduces or lessens a student’s ability to access learning in the education setting because of a learning, behavior, or health-related condition when that student is compared to typically developing same-age peers.

At Palmyra-Macedon CSD, a Section 504 accommodation plan is a written document developed in accordance with federal regulations: …” decisions are to be made by a group of persons who are knowledgeable about the child, the meaning of the evaluation data, placement options, least restrictive environment requirements, and comparable facilities”. While the federal regulations do not require parents or guardians to be a part of the decision-making committee, parents are encouraged to contribute any information they may have and are invited to Section 504 Committee meetings.  

How does a Section 504 Plan differ from an Individual Education Plan (IEP)?