Section 504

504 Coordinator, Dr. Pam Longbotham

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination to assure that disabled students have educational opportunities and benefits equal to those provided to non-disabled students. Section 504 covers qualified students with disabilities who attend schools receiving Federal funding. To be protected under Section 504, a student must be determined to

• Have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities
• Have a record of such an impairment
• Be regarded as having such an impairment

A physical or mental impairment does not constitute a disability for purposes of Section 504 unless its severity results in a substantial limitation of one or more major life activities.

Major life actives include (but are not limited to):

• Walking
• Seeing
• Speaking
• Sitting
• Thinking
• Learning
• Breathing
• Concentrating
• Self care
• Working
• Standing
• Lifting
• Bending,
• Reading
• Communicating
• Dyslexia
• Diabetes
• Cancer
• Chronic Asthma
• Tourette’s Syndrome
• Depression
• Digestive Disorders
• Behavior Disorders

Parents, teachers, and others may refer for 504, but the school district must have reason to believe that the child has a need of services under Section 504.  The school district staff must suspect that the child has an impairment that substantially limits a major life activity. Determining whether a child is a qualified disabled student under Section 504 begins with evaluation, and the evaluation procedures must ensure that children are labeled incorrectly as disabled.  For more information, please contact the 504 Coordinator, Dr. Pam Longbotham.

Program Contact: Dr. Pam Longbotham, Assistant Superintendent, plongbotham@cueroisd.org, 361-275-1922.