504s and IEPs
Public schools are notorious for using acronyms rivaling alphabet soup. In fairness, they have a lot of federal, state, and local mandates to adhere to and reporting to complete, and it would probably add days onto the school year if they had to pronounce every test, procedure, or committee by its full name. Today I want to touch on two of the most common acronyms that parents have questions about: 504s and IEPs.
A 504 and IEP are two legally binding documents that outline what services or accommodations a school will provide to a child, based on a specific need they have. The documents are similar in that they:
are federally mandated
invite parent feedback and suggestions regarding the list of accommodations
do not require schools to agree to everything the parent/child request
require that once accommodations are agreed upon, written, and signed by members of the team, school is legally required to provide those accommodations
are free to student and parent
are reviewed annually
share the goal of helping to set students up for success by offsetting the effects of a disability where possible
require a formal diagnosis, in most cases
There are some differences in the two as well, though most of the time the school system has the responsibility of understanding which a child may qualify for. An IEP has stricter requirements for eligibility, and the diagnosis must be one of the 13 categories covered by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It also provides more coverage for different types of accommodations, including changes to the environment (preferential seating near the teacher, for example) and/or to the curriculum (modified assignments or shorter reading passages). A 504 plan covers many more diagnoses, but can only cover changes to the environment not to the curriculum. A student with a diagnosis of ADHD can receive accommodations under a 504 plan but not an IEP. A student who has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can qualify for accommodations under an IEP.
Both a 504 plan and an IEP have a similar process for students and families. If your child is in need of educational accommodations, you approach the school and ask for a meeting. I'd suggest to ask for this via email so you have documentation. To qualify for either plan, a student must have a disability AND that disability must interfere with their ability to learn in the regular classroom. Once the school receives your request they should follow up to schedule a time to assemble a team to meet. The team will likely consist of your child's general ed teacher, the school administrator in charge of 504/IEPs, the student's parent(s), and the school counselor. The team will meet to discuss the child's needs and how they are functioning in the regular ed classroom. If the team decides the child may qualify for services, they will ask parents to sign a document giving them consent to evaluate the child. This is supposed to happen in a reasonable timeframe, but we know that school psychologists are overworked and often their wait list is months long. For this reason, parents may choose to bring a report from a third-party psychological evaluation. See my post about seeking outside testing here.
Next the team meets again to discuss recommendations and what accommodations would be helpful and realistic to include in the plan. You can ask for anything, but the school does not have to approve everything (If you ask for a pony it will likely get denied even though your child could benefit from having a pony at school because most schools do not have the capacity to accommodate livestock). Once all of the accommodations are agreed upon, the team all signs the 504/IEP document and the child should begin receiving services. After the child is receiving services, the team will meet once annually to review the plan. Additional team members may be added, like special education teachers, support teachers, speech therapists, occupational therapists, or early intervention program (EIP) teachers. You can also request that outside professionals attend an 504/IEP meeting to provide feedback about their progress or make suggestions to be included in the plan.
Please remember that I am not a professional educator, just a child therapist, parent, and parent coach who has learned enough about this to know where to point parents for more information. So consult with an attorney or other professional if you have needs beyond the basic process listed here. Additional general resources are listed below.
The Georgia Department of Education Section 504 Guidance booklet:
https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Student-Support-Teams/Documents/GaDOESection504Guidance.pdf
Understood.org The Difference between IEPs and 504 plans:
https://www.understood.org/en/articles/the-difference-between-ieps-and-504-plans
