Section 504

Glossary abstract concept open book with special education iconography
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Special Education Explainer A Guide to Special Education Terms
The number of students in special education has increased steadily in the last four decades. Here are some of the common terms used.
Brooke Schultz, May 21, 2024
7 min read
Conceptual image in blues: female student with diabetes wears glucose monitoring patch
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Student Well-Being Explainer More Students Are Getting Diabetes. Here's What That Means for the Classroom
More than a half million people under 20 could have the chronic health disorder by 2060, and they'll need support from schools.
Sarah D. Sparks, February 22, 2024
8 min read
Close up of a medical chart in an unrecognizable female doctor's hands as she listens to an unrecognizable young adult woman sitting on nurse's table.
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Student Well-Being Students With Health Conditions Protected Under Federal Law, Education Department Stresses
Asthma, diabetes, allergies, and gastroesophageal reflux disease may trigger student protections under civil rights law.
Evie Blad, February 20, 2024
4 min read
Special Education teacher Amy Kenyon goes over a reading assignment with her students at Harrison Elementary School in Twin Falls, Idaho, on March 8, 2018. All special education students follow individualized education programs, which are tailored to their special needs.
Special Education teacher Amy Kenyon goes over a reading assignment with her students at Harrison Elementary School in Twin Falls, Idaho, on March 8, 2018. All special education students follow individualized education programs, which are tailored to their special needs.
Pat Sutphin/The Times-News via AP
Special Education Explainer What Is an IEP? Individualized Education Programs, Explained
What IEPs are, what their purpose is, and which students are eligible.
Eesha Pendharkar, July 27, 2023
1 min read
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington on Aug. 5, 2021.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks at a White House briefing in August 2021. The U.S. Department of Education has just released guidance on protecting students with disabilities from discriminatory discipline practices.
Susan Walsh/AP
Special Education New Discipline Guidance Focuses on Discrimination Against Students With Disabilities
The Biden administration aims to clarify how federal law protects students with disabilities.
Libby Stanford, July 19, 2022
6 min read
A boy writes at a desk in a classroom.
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Special Education What Do Schools Owe Students With Disabilities? Feds Plan to Update Regulations
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. Comments are open for suggested changes.
Evie Blad, May 6, 2022
2 min read
Conceptual image of supporting students.
Illustration by Laura Baker/Education Week (Source images: DigitalVision Vectors and iStock/Getty)
Special Education L.A. Agrees to Do More After Failing on Special Education. Could Other Districts Be Next?
The district failed to meet the needs of students with disabilities during the pandemic, the U.S. Department of Education found.
Evie Blad, April 29, 2022
6 min read
Student Achievement Spotlight Spotlight on Intervention
This Spotlight will help you dig into intervention from multiple angles: 504 plans, tutoring, SEL for teenagers, and more.
November 4, 2021
New York Assemblywoman Latoya Joyner speaks at a meeting on the lawsuit in New York City that argues schools failed to adequately respond to trauma.
New York Assemblywoman Latoya Joyner speaks at a meeting on the lawsuit in New York City that argues schools failed to adequately respond to trauma.
Photo courtesy of Legal Services NYC
Student Well-Being Do Distressed Students Have a Right to Trauma-Sensitive Schooling?
Three lawsuits argue schools have a responsibility to consider and mitigate the effects of students' personal traumas on their learning.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 3, 2019
9 min read
Special Education Special Education Reforms at Center of New Settlement Agreements
The Berkeley, Calif. school district and the state of Ohio have said they will do more to provide services and to ensure students with disabilities are educated in inclusive settings.
Christina A. Samuels, December 17, 2018
3 min read
Special Education Boston Resolves Civil Rights Complaint Over Students With Sickle Cell Disease
The Boston school district agreed to take a number of steps to ensure that it is identifying children with the genetic disorder and offering the supports they're legally entitled to under federal law.
Christina A. Samuels, February 13, 2018
1 min read
School Climate & Safety New Guidance Outlines Civil Rights Protections for Students With Disabilities
Three new documents describe the responsibilities of all schools, including charters, in following Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as well as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Christina A. Samuels, December 29, 2016
3 min read
Equity & Diversity Ed. Dept. Releases ADHD Guidance to Commemorate ADA Anniversary
The guidance, released on the 26th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, reminds schools of their obligations to students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Christina A. Samuels, July 27, 2016
1 min read
Special Education Report Roundup Special Populations
States vary widely in the number of students with disabilities who are covered under Section 504, according to an analysis by the Advocacy Institute.
Christina A. Samuels, September 21, 2015
1 min read