Common Questions
Below are answers to several commonly-asked questions. Have a question that isn’t answered here? Submit it for review and we’ll expand the site if it isn’t already covered!
- Can I switch to a different hosting company or technology to quickly/easily reach compliance?
- What website hosting companies are 100% ADA compliant?
- What is the most cost-effective way to ensure compliance?
- What happens if I don’t make my website compliant?
- What if I choose to shut my website down?
- What about just using Facebook (or another Social Media venue)?
- What about teacher pages? Do they have to be accessible?
- What about Infinite Campus? Or Google Classroom? Do I have to worry there?
- Can I put my public website behind a password to get around this issue?
- Can I just have a notice on my website that says “come talk to me if you have trouble accessing anything”?
- What about third party resources I link to (such as Facebook, Student Information Systems, externally-hosted board minutes)?
Can I switch to a different hosting company or technology to quickly/easily reach compliance?
Not really. Accessibility is about what and how your content is provided, not which hosting platform or company or technology you choose.
Many common school website hosting companies provide tools that make compliance easier. Even with the help of these tools, you are not guaranteed to meet compliance guidelines. It is still up to you, the district staff member, to understand and maintain compliance.
Many school districts choose to host their own website or use a hosting platform that is not specifically geared towards schools. This is fine. Compliance can still be reached if you understand the guidelines and ensure your staff follows the rules appropriately.
If you have a rigid hosting platform and that platform does not comply with accessibility guidelines, you may find it simpler to change hosting platforms than to try and retrofit your current website.
What website hosting companies are 100% ADA compliant?
This is a trick question. While hosting companies and providers may claim to be 100% compliant, it is quite possible and very common to violate compliance by choosing to post non-compliant content.
It is true that some website hosting partners do have ADA-compliant templates that may make reaching compliance easier. It is not a "magic bullet" to instantly reach compliance.
Check the Additional Resources page for links to hosting companies that claim to provide ADA-compliant templates.
What is the most cost-effective way to ensure compliance?
This is a tricky question. Probably the most cost-effective way to ensure compliance is simply to remove your website, although this is not the intent of the ADA.
Website accessibility is about ensuring equal access to the content you provide. The most cost-effective strategy is to determine a base architecture that supports compliance (there are many free ones as well as low-cost and high-cost alternatives). Once a base architecture is determined, add only the content you really feel is publicly valuable. Ensure that every piece of information you add is accessible. By starting with a framework that is accessible and only adding the information your public will find valuable, you can control costs associated with adding and updating information.
What happens if I don’t make my website compliant?
Your legal obligation is to attempt to have an accessible website. If you choose not to pursue that, you leave yourself open to a public complaint regarding lack of accessibility.
If a member of the public attempts to gain access to information from your website and is thwarted due to an accessibility challenge, that member can lodge a formal complaint with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). The OCR is responsible for investigating and managing concerns and corrections regarding website accessibility complaints.
What if I choose to shut my website down?
That is not the intent of this process. The ADA is to ensure all Americans have fair access to information, not to limit general access to information.
Districts are not, in general, legally required to have a website. If you do not have a website, you still must fulfill corresponding Montana statues appropriately. If you have been notified by the OCR for an accessibility concern, you are likely not going to be in a position to, at that time, take down your website. Your legal counselor and the OCR attorney will guide you through that process.
What about just using Facebook (or another Social Media venue)?
Facebook is a fine tool for some information distribution but rarely covers the needs of a school district. Additionally, content put on Facebook for the school must all be accessible in nature. The Facebook-only strategy is not a winning strategy.
What about if I have my PTA or other community volunteer do the school’s website?
The school is accountable for accessibility regardless of who the author is for the website. If any website is the sanctioned platform for communication, it is the district’s responsibility to ensure accessibility.
What about teacher pages? Do they have to be accessible?
Teacher pages, if publicly facing, are extensions of the public school system and therefore must be fully accessible. They are also considered public school property and fall under public school governance and responsibility (for policies, legal enforcements and liabilities, and other considerations).
What about Infinite Campus? Or Google Classroom? Do I have to worry there?
For the most part, these tools are password-protected for targeted audiences. An appropriate accommodation is required if any member of the targeted audience requires accommodations.
For example: if a student in a classroom is blind and the teacher uses Google Classroom, the teacher would need to work with the student in concert with the 504 (or other plan) to ensure the student received all information in an acceptable and usable format.
Can I put my public website behind a password to get around accessibility issues?
No. A password can be used to secure non-public information. Your district website is public information and cannot be behind a password without impeding public access to information.
Can I just have a notice on my website that says “come talk to me if you have trouble accessing anything”?
A posted offer for assistance to someone with different abilities is not the same as providing reasonable accommodations in content. This type of posting is not within the spirit of ADA and does not constitute compliance with ADA guidelines.
What about third party resources I link to (such as Facebook, Student Information Systems, externally-hosted board minutes)?
The rules aren't clear. Districts going through the complaint resolution process with the OCR have stated that: external resources that are a logical extension of the school district must be accessible. For example: if a school district hosts their board minutes with an external provider, that external provider must be accessible as these minutes are clearly a function of the school district and are being housed for the school district's benefit. If a district links to their local city's parks and recreations calendar, that would not necessarily have to be accessible as it is not in direct support of district functions or responsibilities. Again; this is a case-by-case basis and will ultimately be determined by the Office for Civil Rights.