Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (commonly referred to as “Section 504”) is a nondiscrimination statute enacted by the United States Congress. The purpose of Section 504 is to prohibit discrimination and to assure that disabled students have educational opportunities and benefits equal to those provided to nondisabled students.
An eligible student under Section 504 is a student who (1) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; (2) has a record of such an impairment; or (3) be regarded as having such an impairment which substantially limits a major life activity such as learning, self-care, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, working, and performing manual tasks.
The school district has specific responsibilities under Section 504 to identify, evaluate and provide an educational placement for students who have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity. The school district’s obligation includes providing access to free appropriate public education (“FAPE”) for students determined to be eligible under Section 504. Under Section 504, FAPE is defined as the provision of regular or special education and related services that are designed to meet the individual educational needs of a student with a disability as adequately as the needs of students without disabilities are met, and that are provided without cost.
If a parent or guardian of a student disagrees with decisions made by the professional staff of the school district with respect to the identification, evaluation, and/or educational placement of his/her child, a parent/guardian has a right to request an impartial due process hearing. The parent or guardian may also file an internal grievance on these issues or any other type of discrimination on the basis of disability by utilizing the Clinton Public Schools Section 504 Discrimination Complaint Form and/or may file a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, 8th Floor, 5 Post Office Square, Suite 900, Boston, MA 02109-0111; (617) 289-0111.
Anyone who wishes to file a complaint, or who has questions or concerns about this policy, should contact Kimberly Pearce, Director of Special Services and the Section 504 Coordinator for the Clinton Public Schools, at phone number 860-664-6500.