Special Programs » 504 Services

504 Services

FORT SAM HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

Section 504 Equal Educational Opportunity Services Program

Program Information

In FSHISD, each campus has a Section 504 Services Campus Coordinator, Administrator, or Student Services Coordinator dedicated to implementing a program that ensures qualifying students with disabilities are supported appropriately and are not subject to discrimination. We believe we must meet the needs of all students to support them in reaching their full potential. Section 504 Committees determine reasonable modifications to be made available to students to offer appropriate access to educational opportunities. If a teacher, school counselor, administrator, or other District employee believes that a student may have a disability as defined by Section 504, the District shall evaluate the student. A student may also be referred for evaluation by the student’s parent. The following are the campus-level contacts for this program.


Section 504 Campus Coordinators and Administrators support and educate teachers in providing modifications and collaborate to discuss performance, approaches, data, and progress continuously. Communication with parents is continuous and specific regarding any supports provided through the program. Annually, or at the request of teachers or parents, areas of need, goal, plans for supports and progress are discussed in 504 Committee Meetings.

Section 504 Program Policy

Section 504 also addresses nondiscrimination procedural safeguards for faculty, staff, and students.  FSHISD has adopted policies in compliance with state and federal requirements. Their contents can be found in FB(LEGAL) and (LOCAL),  EHB LEGAL), DIA (LEGAL) and (LOCAL) and (EXHIBIT), FN(LEGAL) and (LOCAL), GF(LEGAL) and (LOCAL) and GKA(LEGAL). The policies address equal educational opportunity, curriculum design of Dyslexia programs, grievances, freedom from discrimination, public complaints, and trespass.

 

504 Notices

The student review committee is designed to comply with the requirements of Section 504 Of The Rehabilitation Act, a federal nondiscrimination statute to protect the rights of students with disabilities. The district has policies and procedures governing the committee's actions. Section 504 contains procedural safeguards including notice, an opportunity for the student's parent or guardian to examine relevant records, an impartial hearing with the opportunity for participation by the parents or guardian and representation by counsel, and a review procedure.

 

A campus 504 Committee may make a referral so that an appropriate service plan may be developed if needed. In that event, additional information will be necessary to determine the child's educational needs and whether he/she might be eligible for assistance in the regular classroom under Section 504.

 

An evaluation under Section 504 requires that the school district draws from a variety of sources. The evaluation, conducted by the Section 504 Committee, will include a review of existing sources of data from school records and parents. The Section 504 Committee includes persons knowledgeable about the student, the meaning of the evaluation data, and the placement options. The information obtained from all such sources must be documented, and all significant factors related to the student's learning process must be considered. Parents or guardians may consent to or refuse evaluation.