Special Education

Section 504 is federal civil rights law under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. It provides 
protection against discrimination for individuals with disabilities. Students in school 
settings fall under the civil rights protection of Section 504. The law and regulations
prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability from all school programs and activities 
in both public and private schools receiving direct or indirect federal funding. Section 
504 accommodations could be available to identified students with disabilities, who 
have been evaluated. Section 504 is designed to provide equal access and fairness in 
general education to students with disabilities, thereby leveling the playing field for them
through what is known as a Section 504 Accommodation Plan. The student must be evaluated 
and meet the Section 504 identification criteria.

A student is entitled to a Section 504 Accommodation Plan if they have been identified 
and the evaluation shows that the individual has a mental or physical impairment that 
substantially limits one or more major life activities. This determination is made by 
a team of knowledgeable individuals, including the parents, who are familiar of the 
student and his/her disability. 

The general education Early Intervening Team is usually the starting point to explore 
whether or not a student needs to be evaluated for accommodations. When a student 
has not responded positively to research-based interventions in an intervention plan 
and/or has a suspected disability, the team may determine to conduct an evaluation for 
special education and/or Section 504. 

Responsibility for considering and developing a Section 504 Accommodation Plan 
consists of a core group that includes the school principal or administrator, referring 
and/or general education classroom teacher, school counselor, and parents—virtually 
the same as the core members of the Early Intervening Team. This team, in 
many cases, may also be the school’s Section 504 Team.

The following list of websites are provided for your use and convenience.  The websites are not controlled by District 2144.  Please access the sites by clicking on the organization name.

• American Academy of Pediatrics

• ARC Minnesota

• Autism Society of Minnesota

• Autism Web

• Center for Parent Information and Resources

• Chisago County Website

• Families With Teens

• Fraser

• Guide to Hearing Health

• Kids Health

• LD Online

• MDHS Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services

• Minnesota Department of Education

• Minnesota Parent

• National Alliance for the Mentally Ill- Minnesota

• National Center for Learning Disabilities

• National Education Association

• PACER

• Speaking of Speech.com