The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, known as IDEA, is a Special Education (SpEd) law that covers both accommodations and services. The school is not legally bound to provide services therefore advocating for these under a 504 is especially difficult. Because 504 is not a services law, specific goals will not be made and a specific commitment to days and duration of dyslexia remediation are not guaranteed. Services will include dyslexia remediation. While schools may offer services to your child for their dyslexia, it is not an aspect of Section 504, which again is purely an accommodations law. A 504 team may be convened at the school and changes made to the child's accommodations without either the knowledge of permission of the parent, up to and including termination of the 504 plan. Section 504 does not guarantee a parent's rights. ![]() ![]() As a guide, follow your state's guidelines for the IDEA evaluation process, follow up frequently in writing, and drive it through. There are no strict timelines for a 504 evaluation, but it should not take an unreasonable amount of time. To obtain a 504 for your child, submit a request for a dyslexia evaluation under Section 504 in writing to your school leadership which may include the counselor, teacher, vice or assistant principal, and principal, depending on what is the norm for your state / district. The complaint is called an OCR complaint and the process for how that can happen is listed here. If violations happen, you may file a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights. Any violations of defined accommodations is not legal. The school and teachers are supposed to follow the accommodations at all times in order to ensure access to a Free and Appropriate Public Education or FAPE. Under Section 504, your child's accommodations will be spelled out. It is a law that protects a disabled person's rights to equal access to work, school and accessibility standards for life in this country. It is important to note however that it is an accommodations law, not a services law. Like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act it is a very robust law that governs many aspects of civil rights for the disabled. Section 504 is a part of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in programs that receive federal financial assistance, i.e. There are key things you need to understand regarding their differences so you can make the best decision possible for your child. They are two very different yet strikingly similar methods of managing your child's education. When dealing with services and accommodations there are two options available for your child while in public education, a Section 504 plan or an Individual Education Plan, or IEP for short.
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