What is Section 504?

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a national law that protects qualified individuals from discrimination based on their disability. Education must be equitable under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Austin ISD will consider students for 504 evaluations based on their impairments or disabilities and current classroom needs

Section 504 is not a default plan for students who do not qualify or decline Special Education support plans. The Section 504 referral process is independent. For students seeking support for dyslexia, dysgraphia, or Specific Learning Disabilities, an Austin ISD evaluation is required.

Section 504 Process

• Teachers, Parents, Staff, A.R.D. committees, or Administrators refer students for a Referral of Eligibility.
• The 504 Coordinator collects the data to review. This may include grades, attendance, assessments, teacher feedback, previous academic evaluations, Other Health Impairment forms from pediatricians, A.R.D. committee recommendations, and input from students and parents.
• 504 Committee convenes. The 504 committee comprises three voting members: a current teacher of record, an Administrator, and the 504 Coordinator. This is different from the voting members and meetings for special education.
  • Determine if the student has an impairment that substantially limits the student from participating in one or more major life activities.
  • If deemed eligible by the committee, an Individual Accommodation Plan is created and shared with the student’s teachers of record for implementation in the classroom.
• Initial meetings are convened for an initial review of data to determine eligibility and to assess whether a support plan is needed. 
• Re-evaluation meetings are convened every three years to re-determine eligibility.
• A “Snapshot” meeting is an annual review of a student’s plan to ensure ongoing support is maintained. It does not require formal meetings. No changes are made to the plan. If changes are recommended, a Review meeting will be scheduled.
• Review meetings may be requested if a student is unsuccessful with the current plan or changes to the accommodation plan are being considered.  All changes must be approved by the Section 504 committee.  

How is a 504 Plan assessed and created?

The campus 504 committee will review data from multiple sources to determine the need for accommodations, ensuring equal access in the classroom/course. Often, determining a student’s needs requires classroom observations and feedback from multiple teachers. Accommodations may be denied if the student performs equally well as their classroom peers without additional support.

Common Resources

Austin ISD 504 Services

AISD Dyslexia Support Website

TEA Dyslexia Handbook

TEA Section 504 Webpage

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights

Test Accommodations

ACT and College Board (AP, PSAT, & SAT) are not required to accept 504 Accommodation Plans utilized by the student’s campus but may require a copy to determine the student’s need.  

It is the responsibility of both parents and students to request College Board and ACT accommodations by the deadlines provided by the respective institutions (College Board or ACT).

College Board (PSAT, AP, and SAT)

• • Requesting College Board Testing Accommodations begins with filling out the College Board Consent Form for Accommodation Request. Complete the form and return it to the Campus SSD Coordinator, Melissa Williamson (504) or Heather Noble (SpEd)
  • Link to College Board Accommodations Request process.
  • Deadlines for College Board Accommodations requests.

ACT

1.  Register to test. Create an account or sign in. Online registration will require your high school code (440294) and any accessibility needs you may have. You must complete this at least four weeks prior to the testing date.
2. You'll receive an email that must be sent to your school official along with a completed Consent to Release Information to ACT (PDF) form. Complete the form and return it to the Campus ACT Coordinator, Robin Spencer.

STAAR/EOC

To receive accommodations for a STAAR/EOC assessment, the student must be on an approved Austin ISD support plan. For questions contact Robin Spencer, Campus AP Supervisor for Special Education. 

 The International Baccalaureate® - IB

Click on the link or contact the campus IB Coordinator for information about the testing accommodation policy.  

Austin ISD Section 504 Department

4000 S. IH 35 Frontage Rd, 5th Floor

Austin, TX 78704

Phone: (512) 414-6645