A 504 Plan Explained
If your child has a disability that impacts his or her performance at school, you may be swimming right now in a sea of unfamiliar phrases, tools, and requirements. Getting help for your child requires climbing a steep learning curve of your own pretty quickly.
One of the phrases you might have encountered is “504 Plan.”
A 504 Plan is one way public elementary and secondary schools can remove barriers so that students with disabilities can participate freely. The name refers to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which specifies that no one with a disability can be excluded from participating in federally funded programs or activities, including public schooling.
A 504 Plan is different from an Individualized Education Pan (IEP). While IEPs are for students who need special education services, 504 Plans are for students who can meet the expectations of a general education classroom, if they get certain accommodations.
Accommodations might include everything from an allergen-free environment, to specialized technology, to training for the child’s teachers in CPR or blood-sugar monitoring. The 504 Plan spells out all of the modifications and accommodations the child needs. It’s not that 504s are for milder disabilities than IEPs, or that 504’s are for physical disabilities while IEPs are for mental disabilities. Rather, the defining difference is that 504 Plans do not include a statement of objectives and goals, since these children have the objectives, goals, and standards of general education.
The basic take-home concept for you as a parent is that if your child can’t thrive in a public school classroom, the school is legally required to do something about it, even if your child does not qualify for special education services per se. The 504 Plan is the plan you and the school put together for how the school will “do something about it.”
There is no legal requirement for a school to write down 504 Plans, though many do. It is in your best interest, and that of your child, to insist that the plan be written and signed. You can create your own document if the school does not provide one.
Having the plan written down will eliminate ambiguity, make it easier for you to hold your child’s teachers and other school personnel accountable, and generally simplify things for you.
After all, your life is complicated enough right now.