Thank You for Listening! This has been an episode from The FowardED Network—Where we are Advancing Voices and Shaping Education. We are dedicated to supporting everyone invested in K-12 success: teachers, leaders, parents, and community advocates.
Want to keep the conversation going?
- Subscribe: Never miss an insight. Hit the subscribe or follow button on your podcast app to automatically receive our next episode.
- Share the Knowledge: If this episode provided value, please take a moment to rate and review us! Your five-star reviews help new teachers, parents, and leaders find our network.
- Explore the Network: This show is just one part of the ForwardEd Network family. Head over to our network page to explore our full roster of interconnected podcasts, including CTRL Shift Lead, Vice Principal UnOfficed, From Carpool to College, and Your Morning Boost.
- Connect with Us: Have a question or an idea for a future episode? Reach out to us at pillars.forwarded@gmail.com or find us on social media using the tag #theForwardEDnetwork.
00:00:00 --> 00:00:05 Welcome to Your Morning Boost, your daily leadership advice to help you lead your school community.
00:00:05 --> 00:00:09 Brought to you by AWB Education and sponsored by Grundmeyer Leader Services,
00:00:10 --> 00:00:14 where together we are transforming education, one leader at a time.
00:00:15 --> 00:00:19 Now here's your host, Adam Bush. Hey everyone, welcome back to Your Morning Boost.
00:00:19 --> 00:00:24 Today we are diving deep into 504 meetings, those crucial gatherings that help
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 us create effective support plans for our students.
00:00:27 --> 00:00:32 Now, we need to start with preparation. This is paramount. But before we actually
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 begin, we need to get parent permission.
00:00:35 --> 00:00:40 Now, you may be saying, okay, listen, Adam, it doesn't say anywhere in 504 law
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 that we have to have parent permission.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:48 And technically, you may be right, but the Office of Civil Rights may not agree with you.
00:00:49 --> 00:00:53 And even if we don't need parental permission, I don't know that we will be
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 very successful if we don't have it.
00:00:55 --> 00:00:59 And for that reason, OCR's latest guidance indicates that even though the procedures
00:00:59 --> 00:01:05 and processes, they're not as well identified as they are in IDEA or special education,
00:01:06 --> 00:01:10 the school district should follow that general plan of attack when we look at
00:01:10 --> 00:01:12 504 meetings and certainly at eligibility.
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 So I personally, I'm going to reach out to parents first, and I want to get
00:01:16 --> 00:01:20 permission to start that evaluation process. Once I have that,
00:01:20 --> 00:01:22 now it's gathering time.
00:01:22 --> 00:01:26 It's time for me to gather all of the necessary documentation beforehand.
00:01:26 --> 00:01:30 I want medical evaluations, parent input, student input.
00:01:30 --> 00:01:33 Of course, for those evaluations, I'm probably going to have to have a release
00:01:33 --> 00:01:37 of information. I get all of that stuff done, relevant assessments,
00:01:37 --> 00:01:42 all of the things that are appropriate that we might need so that I can bring that to the meeting.
00:01:42 --> 00:01:46 A 504 eligibility meeting, that is not a fact-finding meeting.
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 That is a discussion meeting.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:53 We need to be prepared to have discussion about what the student needs and are
00:01:53 --> 00:01:56 they eligible under Section 504.
00:01:56 --> 00:02:00 Now let's talk about the most important ingredient for a successful 504 eligibility
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 meeting, and that is the right people.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:07 There are three persons identified in Section 504 laws, people that must be at the meeting.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:12 We need a person or persons with knowledge of the student, a person or persons
00:02:12 --> 00:02:17 with knowledge of the meaning of the evaluation data, and we need a person who
00:02:17 --> 00:02:19 is authorized to commit district resources.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:25 Now, notice I did not identify anyone specifically like we do in SPED law,
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 like the gen ed teacher, a SPED teacher, administrator, parent, etc.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:33 In 504 law, it is less about titles as it is about purpose.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:38 Instead, we need individuals with diverse expertise. It could include teachers
00:02:38 --> 00:02:42 who know the student well, could be both general education, and it could be
00:02:42 --> 00:02:46 special education if it's applicable, but it certainly could also be the parents.
00:02:46 --> 00:02:51 And we maybe need some related service providers, maybe school counselors or
00:02:51 --> 00:02:52 occupational therapists.
00:02:52 --> 00:02:57 We also need someone with knowledge of evaluation data, could be a school psychologist
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 or a medical professional, school nurse,
00:02:59 --> 00:03:04 maybe an MTSS coordinator, whoever it is that can speak to the data that we
00:03:04 --> 00:03:09 have and what that data means and how that relates to the disability itself
00:03:09 --> 00:03:10 or the impairment itself.
00:03:11 --> 00:03:15 And of course, we need that administrator there with the person who has the
00:03:15 --> 00:03:18 authority to approve the plan and commit necessary resources.
00:03:18 --> 00:03:22 Basically, we need the person who has the ability to sign the checklist.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:26 Now once we have everybody there, let's create a welcoming and collaborative environment.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:30 We want to encourage open communication and we want to encourage active listening.
00:03:31 --> 00:03:33 Make sure everyone feels heard. Make sure they feel valued.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 During the meeting, keep the focus on the student's individual needs.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:40 Once we have determined that student is eligible under the requirements of Section
00:03:40 --> 00:03:46 504, it could be time to move on to developing a plan, but you don't have to
00:03:46 --> 00:03:48 have a plan to be 504 eligible.
00:03:48 --> 00:03:53 And this is one that many school leaders miss. The requirements of child find
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 are actually found in the Americans with Disabilities Act.
00:03:56 --> 00:04:00 We're required to seek out students that may be eligible under the guidelines of the ADA.
00:04:01 --> 00:04:05 It's very possible that you may have students that meet the requirements of
00:04:05 --> 00:04:10 a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities,
00:04:10 --> 00:04:16 but they don't need any accommodations to access school or specifically to access
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 free and appropriate public education or FAPE.
00:04:18 --> 00:04:23 The job of the evaluation team is simply to determine if the student meets the
00:04:23 --> 00:04:28 threshold for eligibility and should therefore then be deemed 504 eligible.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:33 The next step in the process is to determine whether or not the student needs a plan.
00:04:34 --> 00:04:38 Be careful here. You may have some cases where it seems pretty obvious that
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 a student could meet the requirements.
00:04:40 --> 00:04:45 However, the team of those three required participants, that is the group that
00:04:45 --> 00:04:47 makes that determination.
00:04:47 --> 00:04:51 Not you as a school leader, not a parent, a teacher, or a doctor.
00:04:52 --> 00:04:57 There is no prescription for a 504 plan, although honestly I've seen many of
00:04:57 --> 00:04:58 them show up on a piece of paper.
00:04:59 --> 00:05:03 It is the job of the team to determine eligibility, and it's also the job of
00:05:03 --> 00:05:08 the team to say after we've determined eligibility, and if we have a student who we deem as eligible,
00:05:09 --> 00:05:14 do we need to look at whether or not a plan is necessary for that student to access FAPE.
00:05:15 --> 00:05:19 Tomorrow, we're going to dive more into developing that plan once you have an eligible student.
00:05:19 --> 00:05:23 Also, just a quick note, check out a new Booster Shot episode that is dropping
00:05:23 --> 00:05:25 live today. I think you're going to enjoy it.
00:05:25 --> 00:05:28 I have an awesome conversation with Dr. Darren Peppert about some of the work
00:05:28 --> 00:05:33 that he does, and I think you're going to love it. It's all the road to awesome, and it is awesome.
00:05:33 --> 00:05:37 Thanks for joining me today. I'll be back tomorrow with some more tips on writing
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 and implementing effective 504 plans.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:43 But until that time, thank you for listening, and we will talk with you again tomorrow.
00:05:44 --> 00:05:48 You have been listening to your Morning Boost by AWB Education in partnership
00:05:48 --> 00:05:49 with Grundmeyer Leader Services.
00:05:50 --> 00:05:54 You can find out more about our services by clicking on the links in the description.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:59 Remember, you are doing this vital job that only a few can do.
00:06:00 --> 00:06:04 So until next time, thank you for your service to your community.