Section 504

What is Section 504?

Section 504 is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities.

As applied to the schools, the language broadly prohibits the denial of public education participation or enjoyment of the benefits offered by public school programs because of a child's disability.

Enacted in 1973, Section 504 states...

"No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States ... , shall solely by reason of her or his handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance..."

The Referral

A student should be referred to the 504 Committee when the district believes that the child may be eligible.

The Evaluation

The campus 504 Committee will conduct an evaluation. This simply means that the committee will gather data or information from a variety of sources to make a proper determination about the child.

Placement

For 504 purposes, "placement" means the regular education classroom setting with the individually planned accommodations.

The Difference

Section 504 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are both federal laws that protect students with disabilities. The main difference lies in their scope and purpose.

Section 504 is a civil rights law, ensuring equal access to education and prohibiting discrimination for students with disabilities, while IDEA is a federal law requiring educational benefit for eligible students.