Section 504

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES
Section 504 is a civil rights law that ensures students with a disability have access to educational opportunities equal to students without a disability. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires that eligible students have an equal opportunity to a free appropriate public education, including participation in school extracurricular and nonacademic activities. 

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• Any student may be eligible for Section 504 if they have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity.
• Physical or mental impairments include physiological disorders or conditions, cosmetic disfigurement, anatomical loss affecting one or more body systems, and any mental or psychological disorder.
• Major life activities include, but are not limited to: caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, working, and reproductive, immune system, bowel, bladder, neurological, endocrine, respiratory, circulatory, brain, digestive functions.
• A label, disability, or diagnosis, alone, does not make a student eligible under Section 504. The disability must substantially limit the student’s performance as compared to the performance of the average student in the general population.

REFERRAL PROCESS
Referrals may be made by teachers, administrators, or parents. With parent consent, the 504 coordinator will conduct an evaluation which may include academic records, diagnostic assessments, medical reports, parent input, and teacher input. Upon completion of the evaluation, the campus 504 committee will convene to determine if the student qualifies for Section 504 based on the evaluation information. If the student qualifies, the committee will assess the needs of the student and develop an individual accommodation plan.

504 Notice of Parent and Student Rights
TEA - Section 504 Fact Sheet