Overview

 A 504 Accommodation Plan is a legal document falling under the provisions of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.  Section 504 is a civil rights law which requires districts to provide a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) and reasonable accommodations to students who qualify with a disability.  A 504 Accommodation Plan prohibits discrimination and assures that students with impairments and disabilities have equal access and educational opportunities and benefits as those afforded to their non-disabled peers.  A 504 Accommodation Plan is designed to document and implement a program of instructional services, including general classroom accommodations, to assist students with impairments who are educated within the general education setting. The student must require accommodations, and/or related aids or services.  It is only when a qualified student requires systematic and consistent implementation of accommodations in order to provide access that a 504 Accommodation Plan becomes necessary.

A student who is disabled or impaired under Sec. 504 is defined as someone who: (1) has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits a major life activity; (2) has a record of such an impairment; (3) is regarded as having such impairment.  

The 504 Committee in each school determines eligibility, provides parents/guardians with their basic rights, oversees the successful implementation of the 504 Accommodation Plan, reviews the plan annually, and reassesses tri-annually.  This committee may be developed on a student-by-student basis (one committee for each student with membership based upon the student's disability and required accommodations). The chairperson of the committee is the school principal or designee.