School Resources for Children with Chronic Disabilities: Section 504

       From the desks of Nurse Practitioners           Katie Faragher and Josie Dawe:PLEASE NOTE: Parents are required to request the 504 evaluation....your pediatrician or nurse practitioner cannot request it from the school. Katie Faragher, CPNPSection 504 is a federal law that protects students with disabilities from being discriminated against at school. The law requires the school to provide children with disabilities the same opportunities as students without disabilities. This is done by providing reasonable accommodations and modifications. Disabilities covered under Section 504 include physical and/or mental impairments that substantially limits a major life activity such as walking, learning, hearing, seeing, concentrating, thinking, etc. Not all children with disabilities qualify for a 504 plan. The disability must interfere with the child ’s ability to learn or access school programs. Some examples of disabilities that may qualify include ADHD and other learning disabilities, diabetes, anxiety, or physical impairments.Each school district has a 504 plan policy  that explains how Section 504 works for their school district. In general, a parent makes a referral in writing to the 504 contact person. You can contact the school administration to find out who the 504 contact person is.  Next an evaluation is completed and a 504 meeting takes place to determine eli...
Source: Pediatric Health Associates - Category: Pediatrics Tags: Autism Healthy Habits Source Type: news