Understanding Section 504

It is the principals’ responsibility to ensure that students’ legal rights under Section 504 are protected and all requirements set forth within are adhered to. Although oversight can be delegated, you, as the principal, will ultimately hold accountability. As such, you must demonstrate your competence in ensuring adherence to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. In this task, you will act as a principal as you address parental concerns regarding Section 504 accommodations and oversee the development of a Section 504 plan.

Your submission must be your original work. No more than a combined total of 30% of a submission and no more than a 10% match to any one individual source can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from sources, even if cited correctly. An originality report is provided when you submit your task that can be used as a guide.

You must use the rubric to direct the creation of your submission because it provides detailed criteria that will be used to evaluate your work. Each requirement below may be evaluated by more than one rubric aspect. The rubric aspect titles may contain hyperlinks to relevant portions of the course.

A.  Explain, as if you were talking to a parent, what Section 504 is, including the following:

•   the type of law that Section 504 is

•   the purpose of Section 504

•   the eligibility requirements for Section 504 in an educational setting

•   how Section 504 differs from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
B.  Explain how a Section 504 referral is submitted and how the screening or record would be reviewed, including the following:

•   how the school should respond to the referral

•   what documentation is required

•   what meeting(s) should take place

•   who should be involved

•   the responsibilities of those involved
C.  Evaluate the attached “Draft of Omar Thompson’s Section 504 Plan” by doing the following:

1.  Evaluate whether the Section 504 plan as written is appropriate and meets all of Omar’s needs.

2.  Evaluate whether the Section 504 plan as written adheres to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

3.  Write a memorandum to the school’s Section 504 coordinator outlining any suggested revisions you may have for the draft of Omar’s Section 504 plan.
D.  Respond to the following questions from Omar’s parents about his Section 504 plan:

•   Will Omar’s Section 504 plan transfer from a K–12 school system to college?

•   What should parents do if they think that a school staff member is not implementing Omar’s Section 504 plan appropriately?

•   Will accommodations for state standardized testing be provided to Omar?
E.  Explain the process for a Section 504 plan review, including the following:

•   what documentation is required

•   what meeting(s) should take place

•   who should be involved

•   the responsibilities of those involved

1.  Describe how the process for a Section 504 plan review could impact Omar’s Section 504 plan over time.
F.  Acknowledge sources, using in-text citations and references, for content that is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized.
G.  Demonstrate professional communication in the content and presentation of your submission.