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Section 504

What is Section 504?

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a federal civil rights law designed to protect individuals with disabilities from discrimination for reasons related to their disabilities.  Section 504 regulations state "No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States....shall, solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance......."29 U.S.C. 794(a)

These regulations require local education agencies and school districts, receiving Federal financial assistance, to provide a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) to eligible students.  The FAPE must meet the students' individual educational needs as adequately as the needs of non-disabled students.  To be protected under Section 504, a student must be determined to (1) have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, and (2) have record of such impairment or (3) be regarded as having such impairment. 

The following resources have been developed by the United States Department of Education and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
 
 
 
 
NEW fact sheets released by OCR on 2/20/24 to help guide Section 504 processes.
The following resources have been developed by The Texas Education Agency (TEA) to support Texas schools with compliance in Section 504 Federal Regulations.
 
 
 
 
This section includes news, updates and hot topics surrounding Section 504. 
 
During the 23-24 school year, the two following initiatives were passed/implemented by the State of Texas which have implications for Section 504 compliance.
 
 
 
The Region 20 Education Service Center supports local education agencies with ensuring compliance with Section 504 regulations through professional development, training, and technical assistance.  Attend one of our sessions or contact us to bring a session to you!  We also provide contracted professional development in which we can build a training to support your specific campus or district needs.
 
Have questions, need assistance or ready to plan PD?  Contact Tausha Nickleberry, our Section 504 consultant.
The above link titled, ESC-20 Special Education PD Sessions, will show all currently scheduled trainings by department or area of specialty, to include Section 504 sessions.  Don't see what you need or have an idea for future sessions, please contact us. 

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