The 504 Process: What to Expect and What It Means

This page walks families through the district's 504 process from start to finish — explaining how the team gathers information, monitors progress, and makes decisions — so that students and families understand what to expect at every stage.

What Is Already Available to Your Child

Before a 504 plan is ever developed, there are supports already available to every student in the building as part of standard classroom instruction. These are called Tier 1 supports, and they include things like:

Preferential seating
Chunked directions
Extended think time
Testing in an alternate location
Quiet space during work time
Access to the school counselor for organization, skill-building, academic support, social-emotional support, and career readiness

If your child is already receiving these supports, they may be noted in the 504 plan for transparency — but they are not considered 504 accommodations because they are available to all students, not unique to your child.

The accommodations in your child's 504 plan will only include supports that go above and beyond what is already available to every student.

What Is Section 504?

Section 504 is a federal law that protects your child from discrimination at school because of a disability. It was created to make sure that students with physical or mental health disabilities have the same access to education as their peers.

Does My Child Need a Written 504 Plan?

Not always. There are two levels of protection under Section 504:

Important Things to Remember:

Section 504 protections apply even without a written plan
Your child does not need to have an IEP to be protected under Section 504
If you believe your child needs support, you have the right to request an evaluation

The 504 Process

The 504 process follows a clear sequence of steps. Here is what happens at each stage:

Step 1 — Referral

If you have concerns about your child's access to education, you may submit a referral to begin the process.

How to start: Families can contact their building 504 coordinator (listed below) for a referral form.
Once a referral is submitted, the 504 Coordinator reviews it and brings it to the 504 Team for discussion and data review.
The team will determine whether an evaluation is warranted based on the information available.

Step 2 — Evaluation (if consent is given)

Once consent is signed, the evaluation process begins:

The 504 Coordinator brings the student's name to the grade-level team meeting for discussion and information gathering
The student meets with the Coordinator and completes a Student Input Form
Parents and teachers each complete their own input forms
The 504 Team meets to review all information and determine eligibility

Step 3 — Eligibility Determination

The team will determine one of the following:

✅ Qualifies for a 504 Plan — The student has a disability that requires classroom accommodations in order to access their education
❌ Does Not Qualify — Either:

- The student does not have a disability, and therefore does not need accommodations to access their education, or

- The student has a disability, but does not require classroom accommodations to access their education.

A Note About Grades

Grade trends across all classes help the team understand whether and where an impairment may be affecting a student's access to education. Attendance records are also reviewed, as absences can contribute to or compound that impact.

Important: Grades alone do not determine 504 eligibility. Section 504 is about equal access, not equal performance. A 504 plan does not provide individualized instruction — eligibility is determined on a case-by-case basis based on whether a student can access their education without additional accommodations and discrimination.

How We Monitor Accommodations Throughout the Year

Once a 504 plan is in place, teachers document accommodation implementation each grading period through a brief form. Teachers note:

Whether each accommodation was offered
Whether the student used the accommodation
Any relevant observations or concerns

This information is saved as official progress monitoring data and is reviewed by the 504 Coordinator throughout the year.

Annual Review Meeting

At the 504 Review Meeting, the full team — including the student, parents, teachers, and 504 Coordinator — comes together to review monitoring data and make decisions about the plan going forward.

The team will determine whether the student's accommodations are: