504s
Ms. Ashley is the 504 coordinator for the Odyssey Program. For inquiries, please email Ms. Ashley at ashmote@pps.net.
What is Section 504?
“Section 504” is Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a federal civil rights statute protecting persons with disabilities from discrimination. Section 504 applies to all agencies that receive federal funds, including public schools.
Students with disabilities are protected from discrimination on the basis of disability if they have a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits a basic life activity, or have a history of such an impairment or are treated as if they have such an impairment. Under Section 504, students with a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits a basic life activity are entitled to a free appropriate public education, including regular education and other accommodations or supports that are designed to meet the individual educational needs of a student with a disability as adequately as the needs of nondisabled students are met.
What is a 504 Plan?
The Section 504 Student Accommodation Plan documents the specific accommodations or supports the student needs to ensure that the individual needs of the student with a disability are met as adequately as the needs of non-disabled students. The comparison is to an average student in the general population. The Section 504 plan is designed to provide appropriate supports, not necessarily all of the supports that would “maximize the student’s potential” or “the best supports”. The school's 504 team makes an individual determination of the student’s educational needs and supports required. Like special education services, 504 plans must be implemented in the least restrictive environment.
What are "accommodations"?
Accommodations are adjustments that are designed to lessen the impact of the student’s disability to provide access to the school program. There is no “list” of approved accommodations. Accommodations should be determined individually for each student. Accommodations do not modify the curriculum that the student is learning.
How is a 504 plan different from an IEP?
A 504 plan is not an IEP ("individualized education plan.") A 504 is developed for students who have a disability that does not require special education services. An IEP provides a program specialized instruction and supports via specially designed instruction.
In other words, a 504 plan changes "how" a student learns the curriculum with adjustments in the educational environment. An IEP changes "what" a student learns and modifies the curriculum based on their individual educational needs.
For more information regarding IEPs, please contact the school's special education department.