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The Council of Educators for Students with Disabilities, Inc. (CESD)
13091 Pond Springs Road, Suite 300, Austin, Texas 78729
Phone: 512.219.5043 Facsimile (512) 918-3013
The CESD Section 504 Forms
A little history....
In response to requests from CESD Conference participants, we created the first version of the CESD Section 504 Forms in 1999. We sought to build and maintain a set of operational guidelines that implemented the regulations, and a set of forms to assist schools in implementing the guidelines. At the time, few schools had a firm grasp of the Section 504 process. By creating the guidelines and forms as a system, we sought to ensure consistency in language and action and, to the extent possible, have the forms guide Section 504 Committees through their tasks to ensure that proper procedures were followed to satisfy the Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
Since 1999, we have updated the forms prior to each year’s Section 504 Conference to address changes in the law as well as current guidance from OCR and the courts. While there are many ways to articulate the rules and to gather, analyze, and communicate the information necessary for Section 504 compliance, we think our system is pretty great. Over time, schools throughout Texas and all over the country have agreed. If you choose to use our forms, involve your school attorney in the decision.
How can I get the CESD 504 Forms?
The forms are available in the conference notebook to all participants at the Fall Section 504 Conference. A version in MS Word or PDF is also available for those who attend and provide a valid email address at the conference. The forms are not available online. Be sure to talk with your school attorney before making changes to your Section 504 compliance process. The “November 11, 2018 Final” edition of the forms is the current edition. If you attended the Section 504 Conference in November 2018, but have not received the email with the forms by December 10, 2018, please call the CESD office at 512-219-5043.
Why don't you make a digital version?
While the paper version of the forms is plenty for some folks, others have asked whether the forms wouldn’t be easier to use without the paper. You now have a choice and can decide for yourself. Dave & Jose have partnered exclusively with SuccessEd to develop SE 504, a digital version of the CESD Section 504 forms. Visit the SuccessEd booth at either CESD Conference, successed.net on the web, or call Karen Hale at SuccessEd at (214) 613-1546 to see the digital side of the paper forms you’ve probably been using for years. You can also check out a short video peek at the SE 504 product by clicking here.
The Future of the CESD Forms....
Section 504 compliance has become increasingly more complex since the forms were first created. Each year, new pieces are added and old pieces are updated to the point that the paper forms have become quite voluminous. Further, with more eligible students since the ADAAA was passed in 2008, schools have been slow to respond with additional resources to help address the rising compliance burden. The result of this dynamic is more students eligible but the same number of personnel assigned to oversee compliance. We think that future compliance efforts will require more technology--hence the partnership with SuccessEd and the creation of SE 504. We likewise find that the paper forms have become unwieldy.
Beginning after the November 2019 Section 504 Conference, the CESD Section 504 Forms will no longer be updated. The final version created for that conference will be the last updated paper version of the forms. That final version will continue to be distributed as before at the 504 Conference and elsewhere by agreement, and will remain subject to the copyright restrictions provided on the forms, but will not be updated from year-to-year.
After the November 2019 Section 504 Conference, schools wanting updates from Dave & Jose will find them only in the SE 504 program available through SuccessEd. Plan now to transition your school! Visit the SuccessEd booth at either CESD Conference, successed.net on the web, or call Karen Hale at SuccessEd at (214) 613-1546 for more information.
