Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973
normal'>Section 504 is a
non-discrimination civil rights law that prohibits agencies that receive
Federal funding from discriminating against persons with disabilities on the
basis of disability. Section 504 includes students with disabilities who
qualify for Special Education services under the Individuals with disabilities
Education Act (IDEA), but also includes protections for other disabilities
such as dyslexia, diabetes, food allergies, and others which do not fall under
the IDEA regulations.
Who qualifies under Section 504?
Students of Selma City
Schools between the ages of three and twenty-two years of age, who meet the
following definition of disability:
- Has a physical or mental impairment, which
2) substantially limits the student in one or more major life
activities, without consideration of the mitigating measure(s) which might be used to ameliorate the negative effects of the student's disability, and which substantially limits an activity that is central to regular life.
- Those who have a record of impairment
(anti-discrimination prong, only); or
- Those who are regarded as having such an impairment
(anti-discrimination prong, only)
"Placement" of students in Section 504 (§504) usually refers to the regular education classroom with individually planned accommodations by the Campus §504 Committee. §504 is not a statute of "reduced academic expectations or curriculum," but rather provides for individualized accommodations for students as related to the student's disability, which are needed in the regular classroom and are recommended by the student's campus §504 Committee.
RIGHT TO IMPARTIAL
HEARING
A parent with a
concern or complaint about the District’s actions regarding the identification,
evaluation, or educational placement of a student with a disability shall have
the right to an impartial hearing.
A parent shall be
provided written notice of the due process right to an impartial hearing upon
consent for evaluation for 504 services. Information about the due
process right to an impartial hearing is available upon request from the 504 Coordinator
for the District.
The impartial hearing
shall be conducted by a person who is knowledgeable about Section 504 issues
and who is not employed by the District or related to a member of the Board in
a degree that would be prohibited under the nepotism statute. The
impartial hearing officer is not required to be an attorney. The District
and the parent shall be entitled to legal representation at the impartial
hearing.
If you have any questions about Section 504 or eligibility, please call your student's Counselor or the District 504 Coordinator Cheryl
Randolph, for additional information (334-419-7250).
Section 504 requires the schools to:
- Identify and notify qualified disabled students of their rights and procedural safeguards
- Evaluate students to determine §504 eligibility
- Provide appropriate classroom accommodations to eligible students
- Meet the needs of eligible disabled students as adequately as the needs of non-disabled students
- Provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE)
- Afford eligible disabled students with equal opportunities to participate in extracurricular and nonacademic activities to the same extent as non-disabled students