FEATURE
504 Plans:
Creating an equitable school environment Sarah Wuh
Roqaya Elmenshawy
DARING. If you are a student at LHS, chances are, you’ve heard or seen that word at least once this week. It is well known that DARING represents the qualities that D128 strives to develop in its students: Being a dreamer and doer, being aware, resilient, inquisitive, nimble and global. We all have different starting points and roadblocks and need opportunities to develop these skills. And so parallel to its DARING mission, LHS provides support to students with physical and or mental impairments to create an equitable school environment. This support comes in the form of 504 plans and Individualized Learning Plans (IEPs). Approximately 11 percent of students at LHS have a 504 plan, according to special needs specialist and school psychologist Mrs. Claire DiBella. Despite the fact many students are impacted by 504s and IEPs, many students have no idea these plans exist, much less what they are. 504 plans come from Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a federal civil rights law that protects against discrimination of students grades K-12 with a “physical or mental impairment” that interferes with school. These impairments include any physiological disorder or condition, as well as any mental or physical disorder. The law deems that those students have the right to federally funded programs and activities. Additionally, through the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), some students are eligible for Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) under the 13 different eligibilities outlined in IDEA. “The main difference when you’re looking at eligibility between IEP and 504 is; does [a student] need specialized instruction and related services in order to remediate a deficit that’s adversely impacting them, or do they just need accommodations in order to level the playing field?” Special Education co-supervisor Mrs. Alyssa Henning said. The first point of contact in creating 504 plans is between a student’s Learning Support Team (LST) and the students and their families. The LSTs, teachers, families and students work together on different levels of intervention in order to support the student. LST counselors case-manage the 504 plans with the assistance of Mrs. DiBella. Mrs. DiBella believes the roles of the counselors and LSTs are vital in this process. “It all starts with those conversations back at the LST and working with the teachers and family to figure out what needs to be
Jasmine Lafita
addressed,” Mrs. DiBella said. Once a student has been deemed eligible, the LSTs and Mrs. DiBella work towards creating a specific list of accommodations for the student. These accommodations are individualized to the
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