idea & section 504: guidelines for students at the borders sacramento office 520 capitol mall...

IDEA & Section 504: Guidelines for Students

at the Borders

Sacramento Office520 Capitol MallSuite 400SacramentoCalifornia 95814Tel: 916.443.0000Fax: 916.443.0030

*Our newest location:

http://www.borderline-plattform.de/assets/images/Borderline_Hintergrund.jpg

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_

Fagen Friedman & Fulfrost LLP

2

Overview

• IDEA and Section 504 compared

• Moving between Section 504 and the IDEA

• Students at the Borders: SLD, ADD, Physical Disabilities

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


3

IDEA vs. Section 504

Eligibility

FAPE

Process & Documents

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


4

IDEA vs. Section 504 Eligibility Under IDEA

Two questions:

• Does the student have a disability in an IDEA eligibility category?

• Does the student require special education and related services?

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://access.coffeyville.edu/ics/uploads/question_mark.jpg&imgrefurl=https://access.coffeyville.edu/ics&h=320&w=304&sz=9&hl=en&start=7&usg=__Xdmczj9HiriSSVLGQ8Dhm5sqhCk=&tbnid=vuOm3449NNyj3M:&tbnh=118&tbnw=112&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dquestion%2Bmark%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


5

IDEA vs. Section 504 Eligibility Under Section 504

Two questions:

• Does the student have a physical or mental impairment?

• Does the impairment substantially limit a major life activity?

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://access.coffeyville.edu/ics/uploads/question_mark.jpg&imgrefurl=https://access.coffeyville.edu/ics&h=320&w=304&sz=9&hl=en&start=7&usg=__Xdmczj9HiriSSVLGQ8Dhm5sqhCk=&tbnid=vuOm3449NNyj3M:&tbnh=118&tbnw=112&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dquestion%2Bmark%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


6


Physical or Mental Impairment:“Any physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurological; musculoskeletal; specific sense organs; respiratory, including speech organs; cardiovascular; reproductive, digestive, genitor-urinary; hemic and lymphatic; skin; and endocrine; or any mental or psychological disorder, such as mental retardation, organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental illness, and specific learning disabilities.” 34 C.F.R. § 104.3(i).

cont.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


7


• If complete medical evaluation is necessary to determine eligibility, parent may be asked to obtain and fund evaluation

• If parent refuses, district must fund evaluation

Compton (CA) Unified School District (OCR 2008)

cont.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


8


Substantially Limits: New definition

– Rejection of court’s “severely restricts”

– “Substantially limits” to be construed broadly

cont.

Pub.L. No. 110-325 (September 25, 2008) 122 Stat. 3553;29 U.S.C. § 705; 42 U.S.C. § 1210

http://images.google.com/url?source=imgres&ct=tbn&q=https://wsrp.dev.java.net/public/image/new.jpg&usg=AFQjCNHQgBiQEi8BthlYkEIj7KyrRJbKPg

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


9


Episodic Disabilities and Remission:

Ask: Would impairment substantially limit a life activity when active?

cont.

Pub.L. No. 110-325 (September 25, 2008) 122 Stat. 3553; 42 U.S.C. § 1210

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


10


Mitigating Measures:

• Cannot consider ameliorative effects of mitigating measures (i.e. medication, hearing aids, learned behaviors, modifications)

• EXCEPT eye glasses and contact lenses

cont.

Pub.L. No. 110-325 (September 25, 2008)122 Stat. 3553; 42 U.S.C. § 1210

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


11

Practice Pointer

Until districts receive further guidance:– If student would be eligible when

impairment is active, make the student eligible

– Create a plan to address student’s needs when the impairment is active

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


12


Major Life Activities:• Under the new law, major life activities

include (but are not limited to)– Caring for oneself, performing manual tasks,

seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, speaking, reading, learning, concentrating, thinking, communicating and working

• Under the regulations previously developed major life activities included “learning”

cont.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


13

Practice Pointer

• When determining eligibility under Section 504, determine whether any major life activity is substantially limited

• Do not limit consideration to “learning”

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


14

Practice Pointer

The following behaviors are not themselves a physical or mental impairment:

– Lack of motivation– Excessive absences– Early dismissal– Inadequate classroom

attendance– Difficulties at home– Incomplete work

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


15

Practice Pointer

Be methodical and document your method!Always ask two questions when determining

Section 504 eligibility:1) Does the student have a physical or mental

impairment?

2) Does that impairment substantially limit a major life activity?

Don’t forget to properly document the responses!

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


16

IDEA vs. Section 504FAPE

IDEA:– Specially-designed instruction– No cost to parent– Meet unique needs of student– Educated in least restrictive

environment

20 U.S.C. §§ 1402(29), 1412(a)(5);Board of Educ. of the Hendrick Hudson Central School Dist. v.Rowley (1982) 458 U.S. 176, 200

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


17


Section 504:– Regular or special education and related

aids and services designed to “meet individual educational needs of handicapped persons as adequately as the needs of non-handicapped persons.”

– Educated in the least restrictive environment

34 C.F.R. §§ 104.33, 104.34; J.D. v. Pawlet School Dist. (2nd Cir. 2000)224 F.3d 60; 34 C.F.R. Part 104, Appendix A. (Emphasis added)

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


18


• FAPE requirements in IDEA and Section 504 regulations are different

• Section 504 requires comparison between meeting needs of disabled and nondisabled students

• IDEA has an absolute standard – providing some educational benefit

Mark H. v. Lemahieu (9th Cir. 2008) 513 F.3d 922

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


19

IDEA vs. Section 504Process & Documents

IDEA: Notice of Procedural Rights

District must provide notice of rights:

– Upon initial referral or evaluation

– When a complaint is filed

– When disciplinary action taken

– At parent request

34 C.F.R. §§ 300.500 et seq.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


20


IDEA: Evaluation

• Evaluate in all areas of suspected disability

• Adhere to strict timelines

• Use a variety of assessment tools• Evaluations by trained and knowledgeable

persons

20 U.S.C. § 1414(b); 34 C.F.R. § 300.304

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


21


IDEA: IEP Team• Team makes eligibility, placement, and service

determinations• Required members:

– Parent– General education teacher– Special education teacher– Administrator– Individuals who can interpret assessment results– Other individuals with knowledge or special expertise

regarding child– When appropriate, the student

20 U.S.C. § 1414(d)(1)(B)

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


22


IDEA: Appropriate Document – IEP

• Every eligible student must have an IEP• Contents of the IEP:

– Eligibility– Educational needs– Present levels of performance– Goals/objectives– District’s offer of FAPE

20 U.S.C. § 1414(d)

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


23


Section 504 Required Procedures:

• Notice

• Opportunity to examine records

• Impartial hearing with opportunity for parent to be represented by counsel

• Review procedure

34 C.F.R. §§ 104.33, 104.34, 104.35, 104.36

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


24


Note:

• Typically, OCR does not investigate substance of educational decisions

• Focus is on whether district followed proper procedures

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


25


Section 504: Evaluation• School district must develop standards and

procedures to ensure that assessment materials are:– Validated– Administered by trained personnel

• to reflect student’s ability – not impaired skill– Designed to assess specific areas of educational

need

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


26


• When conducting evaluation, school district must:– Draw upon variety of sources– Create procedures to ensure information is

documented and considered– Ensure each placement decision is made

by the appropriate team

34 C.F.R. § 104.35; Gloucester County (VA) Public Schools (OCR 2007)

cont.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


27


Section 504: Decision Team

• Eligibility and placement decisions made by “a group of persons, including persons knowledgeable about the child.”

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


28


• District must designate a“Section 504 Coordinator”

Colorado Springs (CO) School Dist. #11 (OCR 2008)

cont.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


29


Section 504: Appropriate Document• Districts most commonly develop a

Section 504 plan• May develop an IEP to comply with

Section 504’s FAPE requirement

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


30

Practice Pointer

• A Section 504 plan is not a “consolation prize”

• Emphasize appropriateness and benefits of Section 504 plan

• IDEA services may not be appropriate

• IDEA compliance is one way of meeting section 504

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


31

Moving BetweenSection 504 and the IDEA

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


32


What should a district do when a student’s Section 504 plan is no longer appropriate?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


33


Consider:– Re-evaluating student

– Modifying the Section 504 placement and/or services, or

– Convening IEP team meeting to determine IDEA eligibility

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


34


CAUTION

Under Section 504, districts must evaluate prior to initial placement or significant change in placement

– Error on side of evaluation if moving student into a more or less restrictive setting

20 U.S.C. § 1414; 34 C.F.R. § 104.35

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


35


Parent Rejects Section 504 PlanScenario:

– District offers Section 504 plan

– Parent rejects

– Parent requests IEP

What should you do?

cont.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


36


• Implement Section 504 plan without parent consent, if district’s policy allows, and

• Conduct IDEA evaluation, if this is what parent wants

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


37

Practice Pointer

Determine parent’s underlying concern– Is parent requesting IEP or a special

education assessment?– Discussion with parent may resolve

concerns and avoid assessment process

20 U.S.C. § 1414

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


38


From IDEA to 504 scenarios:– Student no longer eligible under IDEA– Student found ineligible under IDEA– Parent revokes consent for IDEA

services

*Be prepared for parent request for Section 504 services

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


39


If an IEP team finds a student ineligible under the IDEA, can the same team immediately thereafter find the student eligible for Section 504 services?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


40


YES -• So long as student has a mental or physical

impairment that substantially limits a major life activity

• Conducting consecutive IEP and Section 504 meetings is okay

HOWEVER . . .

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


41


CAUTION:

• It’s better to adjourn IEP meeting and convene Section 504 meeting at later date

• This will avoid:– Perception of “consolation prize”– Potential for excluding necessary persons– Risk of undertaking wrong analysis to determine

eligibility– Failure to properly notice Section 504 meeting

Letter to Anonymous (OCR 1991)

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


42


Rejection of IDEA:• Parent not required to accept initial

IDEA services

• Parent may revoke prior consent

• If parent revokes, district may not continue to provide special education and related services

34 C.F.R. § 300.300(b)(4).

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


43


If the district offers a FAPE through the IDEA and the student’s parent refuses to consent to the initial provision of IDEA services or revoke consent to IDEA services, is the district required to create a Section 504 plan?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


44


Satisfy the IDEA• Districts are responsible for:

– Creation of appropriate IEP• Districts are not responsible for:

– Obtaining parent consent to the IEP

MAKE THE OFFER

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


45


Section 504 Plan?

• Probably not required, if parent has rejected IEP

• But certainly permissible

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


46


Child FindDistrict must:

– Actively seek out students eligible for Section 504 services, including those attending private schools

– Conduct Section 504 evaluation, if appropriate

34 C.F.R. §§ 104.31; 104.35(a)

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


47

Students at the Borders

IDEA? Section 504? Or General Ed?

SLD, ADD/ADHD, Physical Disabilities

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


48

Students at the BorderSLD: IDEA Eligibility

Student has:– A “disorder in one or more of the basic

psychological processes involved in the understanding or in using language, spoken or written.”

– Manifests in an “imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations.”

Student requires special education and related services

20 U.S.C. § 1401(30)

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


49

Practice Pointer

Reading Fluency• The 2006 federal regulations added

reading fluency skills to list of qualifying areas for eligibility determinations

• If district uses either RTI or discrepancy model, district must determine whether student is performing adequately for age/grade level in all qualifying areas, including reading fluency skills

34 C.F.R. § 300.309

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


50

Students at the BorderSLD: Section 504 Eligibility

Two Part Analysis:• Physical or mental impairment

– Comments to Section 504 Regulations state that SLD constitutes a physical or mental impairment

• Must substantially limit a major life activity

20 U.S.C. § 1401(30); 34 C.F.R. Part 104, Appendix A

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


51

Practice Pointer

A student may not qualify under Section 504 if he/she is successful in the general education setting without special education supports, despite demonstrating a discrepancy between ability and performance

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


52


Facts - Fourth grade:• SST team referred student for comprehensive

special education assessment• IQ score of 92• Achievement scores ranged from 85 to 110• Assessor concluded no severe discrepancy

between ability and achievement• District found student ineligible for IDEA

servicesStudent v. Tracy Joint Unified School District (OAH 2007)

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


53

Students at the Border SLD: Section 504 Eligibility

Facts - Fifth grade:• GPA ranged from 2.0 to 2.5• District found student ineligible for IDEA

services• Parent disagrees• Obtained IEE that concluded student qualified

as SLD due to processing disorders and a severe discrepancy in math calculations

Student v. Tracy Joint Unified School District (OAH 2007)

cont.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


54


OAH Ruling:No severe discrepancy based on

private and district assessmentsStudent ineligible for IDEA services

under category of SLD

cont.


__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


55


Eligible under Section 504?

Probably not. Unlikely that there is a physical or mental impairment– Earned average grades– Failed to show discrepancy between ability and

performance


cont.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


56


Facts:• Student originally eligible as SLD• Convened IEP meeting to review additional

assessments• Student skills commensurate with overall

cognitive functioning• Received passing grades • Team concluded no severe discrepancy or

processing deficiency• Ineligible under category of SLD

Lancaster School District v. Student (OAH 2007)

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


57


OAH Ruling:Ineligible for IDEA services under

eligibility category of SLD

cont.


__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


58



Probably not. Unlikely that there is a physical or mental impairment– Earned average grades– Failed to show discrepancy between ability and

performance

cont.


__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


59

Students at the BorderADD/ADHD: IDEA Eligibility

• Student qualifies for IDEA services under “Other Health Impaired” if he/she has:– Limited strength, vitality or alertness, including a heightened

alertness to environmental stimuli, that results in limited alertness with respect to the educational environment, that is due to chronic or acute health problems, such as attention deficit disorder, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, among others, which adversely affects a student’s educational performance

• Student requires special education and related services

20 U.S.C. § 1401(3); 34 C.F.R. § 300.8(c)(9)

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


60

Students at the Border ADD/ADHD: Section 504 Eligibility

Two Part Analysis:

• Physical or mental impairment

– According to OSERS, ADD and ADHD constitute a physical or mental impairment

• Must substantially limit a major life activity

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS 1991)

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


61

Students at the BorderADD/ADHD: Section 504 Eligibility

Facts:• In March 2006, parents requested special education

assessment due to possible ADD or ADHD• Health assessment did not show impulsive behavior• In class, student showed lack of concentration• Student performed at average academic level • In July 2006, student obtained medical diagnosis of

ADHD

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (OAH 2006)

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


62


OAH Ruling:Student had ADHD based on medical

diagnosisHowever, student ineligible under IDEA

because condition did not “adversely affect educational performance”

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (OAH 2006)

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


63



Probably not.• Due to medical diagnosis, OSERS would

consider student to have physical or mental

impairment• However, no showing of substantial limitation

of a major life activity

cont.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


64


Facts:• Second grade

– Diagnosed with ADHD– Participated in general education setting– Assessed for and placed in GATE program– Scored average or above on standardized and

ability tests

• Fourth grade– Earned As, Bs, and Cs

Student v. Bonita Unified School District (OAH 2006)

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


65


Facts:• Fifth grade

– Scored “basic” and “proficient” on STAR testing– Earned all As and Bs– Promoted to middle school

• Sixth grade– Scored “basic” and “proficient” on STAR testing– Earned a C in English and a D in Social Studies

• Seventh grade– Scored “proficient” in STAR testing– Earned all Cs– Parents advised district of ADHD and anxiety disorder

cont.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


66


OAH Ruling:Despite ADHD diagnosis, student

ineligible under IDEAFailed to show need for special education

and related servicesPoor grades were attributed to failure to

complete homework, not inability to learn


cont.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


67



Possibly.• Student has a physical or mental

impairment• Student may be able to show that the

ADHD substantially limits a major life activity, such as the ability to “concentrate” or “focus”


__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


68

Students at the BordersPhysical Disabilities

IDEA Eligibility

• Qualifying physical disabilities:– Deafness– Hearing impairment– Blindness– Other visual impairments– Orthopedic impairments

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


69


Section 504 Eligibility• Student must have a physical or mental

impairment that substantially limits a major life activity– Some physical impairments may not be

obvious

• Cannot take into account mitigating measures

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


70


Section 504 Discrimination

• May not prevent eligible Section 504 student from participating in programs/activities due to inaccessibility to district facilities

• Must provide reasonable accommodations to allow student to participate in programs/activities outside of school day

34 C.F.R. §§ 104.4; 104.12; 104.21

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_


71

Students at the Borders

Section 504 & IDEA are safety nets.

However, the best outcome is

when they are not needed!

Thank you!

idea & section 504: guidelines for students at the borders sacramento office 520 capitol mall...

Documents

idea section

fagen friedman fulfrost

idea eligibility category

idea students

overview idea

physical disabilities

mental impairment

mental retardation