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504 Plan Basics for the General Education Teacher

What do I do when a parent wants a 504 plan?

Best practices overall:

Please contact your Special Education Director/504 Coordinator to make her aware of the request and let the parents know that we are working on the 504 Plan request.

Step One:

Request official medical records from the parent who must include a
diagnosis or an assessment report by medical/psychiatric professionals. If a formal diagnosis is made and there is documentation, ask the parent to obtain the copies, and once you have them, Christine Young.

Second step:

I will contact the parents and request them to fill out two forms-permission to collect information and parent input form.

Step three:

Once I have these back from the parent, I will contact the homeroom teacher with a teacher input form. The homeroom teacher will provide information about each class, which may include grades and progress. If the student is in high school, you will need to add the unit
s complete and the groups required. The form will have a few other questions. Upon completion of this form, please email or return to me.

Step four:

Once I have completed a 504 draft, I will email the homeroom teacher and the parent for a review, thoughts, comments, etc. At that time, a meeting may be set up unless parent requests otherwise. To implement the 504 plan, I will need to obtain parent/staff signatures, and parents will need to sign 504 rights.
What is involved in the yearly update?
The plan will need to be updated yearly. I will contact the homeroom teacher and parents a couple of months before the yearly review for input. I will need parent and teacher input forms to be filled out, and it will include the same information as before.
What is a 504 plan triennial?
A 504 plan must be reviewed every three years to see if the student still qualifies. I will contact the homeroom teacher and parents a few months in advance as the parent will need to get new medical information. A meeting is required at this time. The required information from the homeroom teacher will be the same as before.
What is in a 504 plan?
Unlike an IEP, there is no standard 504 plan and can vary from student to student. Some districts have a 504 plan format, however. A 504 plan generally includes the following:
  • A blueprint or plan for how the school will provide support and remove barriers for a student with a disability.
  • It provides adaptations, accommodations, services, and changes to the learning environment to enable students to learn alongside their peers.
Who creates the 504 plan?
The 504 plan rules are less specific than an IEP, and therefore, a 504 plan is created by a team of people who are familiar with the child and who understand the evaluation data and special services options. Members may vary but usually includes:
  • The child’s parent or caregiver
  • General and special education teachers
  • Pertinent Special Education Staff
What are the criteria for eligibility under a 504 plan?
Put, the student must meet the qualifications outlined in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The student must exhibit one or more of the following symptoms:
  • physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities.
  • Have a record of such a physical or mental impairment.
  • Be perceived as having such a physical or mental impairment.
  • It is important to note that although a student may not qualify for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), he/she may still be eligible for a 504 Plan. Section 504 has a broader definition of a disability than IDEA. (It says a disability must substantially limit one or more basic life activities; this can include learning, reading, communicating, and thinking.) That’s why a child who doesn’t qualify for an IEP might still be able to get a 504 plan. To obtain a 504 plan, there are two requirements:
  1. A child has any disability. Section 504 covers a wide range of different struggles in school. There should be some written records from the student’s physician.
  2. The disability must interfere with the child’s ability to learn in a general education classroom. What is Applied Law? Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which is a federal civil rights law to stop discrimination against people with disabilities. The rules about who’s on the 504 teams are less specific than they are for an IEP, parents do not have the same legal rights with a 504 plan as with an IEP.