Answers to the most frequently asked Section 504 questions appear in this section.

We get a lot of questions at our conferences and through the question call service. Some of those Section 504 questions are answered in this section of the site.

If you need some background to better understand Section 504, download the 504 Overview from the downloads page. The Overview provides a great introduction to the public school’s various duties under Section 504. And of course, if you want to immerse yourself in two days of 504 information, come to one of our great conferences in Austin.

By the way, most of the answers on the following pages come from federal law (statutes, regulations, or decisions by OCR, the courts or hearing officers), but state law can play a part. Where state law does come into play, we’ve used Texas law as the background for the answer, so the answer may not apply completely in your state. Also, please remember that in law, facts are critical. We’ve tried to remove complicating facts from these questions in order to explain in the simplest terms how the rules work. Do not mistake these explanations for legal advice. If you are concerned about a particular set of facts or situation, please consult a licensed attorney.

The materials  in this section are copyrighted, and are provided solely for your personal study. Please do not redistribute them or use them for personal gain without our express written permission. Misuse will only make us grumpy and unlikely to share in the future.

If your burning question is not here, leave us a message. Additional questions and answers will be added from time to time. Check back frequently. Please note that due to the number of questions forwarded to us, we are unable to respond to e-mailed questions, and only selected queries will  be answered on these pages. You will not receive an email response to your question.

Questions have been separated into the subcategories that appear on the navigation buttons listed below: