Section 504 Services are designed to provide a system of identifying eligible students with disabilities as defined under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Once identified, these students are ensured access to a Free and Appropriate Public Education by providing accommodations that allow equal access to the curriculum in the general education setting. The statute is intended to prevent intentional or unintentional discrimination against persons with disabilities, persons who are believed to have disabilities or family members of persons with disabilities.

Angleton ISD strives to meet the needs of all students. 504 Services are designed to provide a system of identifying eligible children with disabilities as defined under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (2009), enabling Angleton ISD to ensure that all of the rights of these children are protected and receive appropriate services to ensure access to a Free and Appropriate Public Education.

Any student with a disability that substantially limits one or more life activities may be considered for 504 services.

A student should be considered for eligibility under Section 504 if they:

• Have a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities.
• Have a record of such an impairment
• Is regarded as having such an impairment
• Section 504 Q&A

Section 504 May include conditions such as:

• Dyslexia
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Diabetes
• Asthma
• Autism
• Cancer
• Hearing Impairment
• Visual Impairment
• Auto-Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
• Cerebral Palsy
• Epilepsy
• Obsessive -Compulsive Disorder
• Orthopedic Impairments
• Other Disorders of Major Body Functions
  ** Not intended to be all-inclusive
• Section 504 Fact Sheet

Section 504 requires schools to:

• Identify and notify qualified disabled students of their rights and procedural safeguards
• Evaluate students to determine Section 504 eligibility 
• Provide appropriate classroom accommodations to eligible students
• Meet the needs of eligible disabled students as adequately as the  needs of non-disabled students
• Provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE)
• Afford eligible disabled students with equal opportunities to participate in extracurricular and nonacademic activities to the same extent as non-disabled students.

What are the Referral Procedures?

Any student may be referred for a 504 evaluation by a parent, teacher, counselor, administrator, or other District employee who is knowledgeable about the student and has reason to believe that the student has a disability that is substatially limiting one of life's' major activities.

All referrals must be submitted in writing to an official campus 504 coordinator who will prepare and send all required notices.

Who makes up the Membership of the 504 Committee?

The federal regulations governing Section 504 do not specify the titles or classifications of individuals who must participate in a 504 Committee.  The regulations do state that the 504 Committee must include "a group of persons knowledgeable about the child, the meaningof the evaluation data, and the placement options."

While parents are not required members of a 504 Committee in the regulations.  Angleton ISD encourages parent participation.

How is Placement Defined?

In the context of 504, "placement" refers to the general education classroom or program with individually planned accommodations or interventions.  In other words, an eligible 504 student is entitled to the same access to programs and activities as any other student.  The District is not required to alter requirements or standards for participation.  There is no modification of the essential knowledge and skills for 504 students.

In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2009.  Angleton ISD provides parents or guardians with the following procedural safeguards for their child:

1. Parents have a right to a written notification on an individual basis with regard to:
   1. Referral for evaluation or reevaluation;
   2. Decisions regarding eligibility
   3. Services available
   4. Placement; and 
   5. Any significant change in placement
2. A right to receive a copy of this notice upon the district's identification, evaluation, educational placement, denial of educational placement, and any significant change in said placement of their child.
3. A right to an evaluation of their child if the District has reason to believe that the child has a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits learning or some other major life activity:
   1. before the initial placement: and
   2. Before any subsequent significant change in placement.
4. A right to an opportunity to examine all relevant records for their child.
5. A right to participate in an impartial hearing with representation by counsel concerning the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of their child.
6. A right to appeal the final decision of the impartial hearing officer to a court of competent jurisdiction.

A written request for local mediation or impartial hearings shall be made to: 

Maria Macedo
Director of Academics and Leadership
Angleton Independent School District
1900 North Downing
Angleton, TX 77515

979-864-8000

The hearing officer for the impartial hearing will not be an employee of Angleton Independent School District, shall not be a member of the Board of Trustees, and shall not be related to any member of the Board of Trustees in a degree that would be prohibited under the nepotism statute.  Mediation conferences and/or impartial hearings will be conducted in an informal and nonadversarial manner.

Read and Download the Notice of Rights for Disabled Students and their Parents here.

Lea y descargue el Aviso de derechos para estudiantes discapacitados y sus padres aquí.