29th Annual Section 504 Conference

In-Person & Virtual

In-Person Conference

DoubleTree by Hilton Austin

November 17-18, 2025

Virtual Conference

Online access

December 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026

Struggling to understand your school’s Section 504 legal responsibilities in a changing compliance environment?  We can help.

Don't delay improving your school's Section 504 compliance.

New Section 504 regulations are no longer on the horizon—  the old regulations are still in place.

Your school’s legal responsibilities under Section 504 have not changed. The compliance environment, however, is now very different. Here are some of the issues we’ll be tackling.

The Hybrid Advantage

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During the Virtual Conference, in-person attendees can catch recordings of the four breakouts they missed.

All Attendees get two more Q&A sessions + Office Hours

Virtual Attendees can see every session during the lengthy virtual window.

Earn Hours of CEU Credits

Over 17 hours of possible credit

Over 20,000 Educators Served

See why educators all over the United States love CESD!

Josh Westerman, MEAD ISD

"It's nice to know what's actually going on...so they can tell us how to keep out of trouble [legally]."

Lindsay Olsen, Region 12 Service Center

 "These legal updates and the most current studies...is really helpful for me to answer questions."

Kiandra Tyus, Dekalb County ISD

 "To learn what some of the practices are in other states helps us to improve what we're doing."

2025 Topics and Speakers

Dave
Jose
Layne
NeCol
Shira
Erin
Molly
Daniel
Jason Ellis

2025 Topics

Complying with the Law in a Changing Enforcement Landscape

Section 504 in 2025: What's New, Who's in Charge & What Should We Be Doing?

Addressing the Needs of Students with Mental Health Issues: Eligibility, Attendance Problems, Work Refusal, Services, Accommodations, Child-Find Implications

Section 504 Deep Dive: When is a Student “Substantially Limited?”

Doctors, Medical Data & Medication

Update on Discipline of Section 504 Students: Key Limiting Doctrines, MDRs, FBAs, BIPs, and Risk Assessments under Texas Law

A Relationship Approach to Difficult Behavior

Child Find and Services: Completing 504 Evaluations Without a DSM-IV Diagnosis

When the 504 Committee Says "NO"

Involving Your School Nurses in 504 Compliance: Child-Find, Medical Information, Help with Health-Based Plans and Accommodations

Assistive Technology and Accessibility Tools to Support Students with a 504 Plan

Beyond Compliance: How Administrators Shape Section 504 Success Through Culture and Systems

How was last year's conference?

At our 2024 conference, we hosted attendees from all over the country to hear from our expert speakers.

Discover what they had to say!

Why choose CESD?

The primary role of the Council of Educators is to provide public educators with quality training events on disability law issues.

With over 25 years of experience, we know what works.

Practical Approach
CESD strives to identify and present the latest information and legal changes that are most important to public educators with a straightforward approach.
Hybrid Conference
We provide both an in-person and a virtual version of both conferences. This allows attendees to participate in our conferences from wherever they are.
Expert Speakers
The CESD Faculty is chosen from experts and skilled practitioners with a passion for what they do and a love for the students they serve.
Amazing Venue
The Austin DoubleTree is the perfect environment for you to attend our conferences in a comfortable environment and enjoy the city of Austin in the evening.

Section 504 Foundation Series

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New Benefit Included with Conference Registration This Year!

Learn the fundamentals of Section 504 with six informative videos by school attorneys Jose Martin and Dave Richards.

 

Perfect for newcomers or as a refresher, these sessions cover:

  • Duties of a District 504 Coordinator
  • Comparison of IDEA & ADA/504
  • Overview of Section 504 Eligibility Process
  • Using Evaluation Data to Create the 504 Plan
  • Behavior Management and Discipline
  • Section 504's Nondiscrimination Responsibilities

How will you attend?

DoubleTree by Hilton Austin

Attending in person?

The DoubleTree by Hilton Austin is the perfect environment for you to attend our conferences in a comfortable environment and enjoy yourself close to everything that you love about Austin.

Since attendees at DoubleTree can only see two of the four breakout sessions each day, their registration includes access to the virtual conference to see all sessions and the two additional live Q&A events and office Hours during the virtual conference window.

Attending virtually?

All of our live sessions are recorded and captioned so our virtual attendees have access to all of the Conference content, all written materials in a PDF, and two extra live Q&A’s + Office Hours with Dave & Jose.

With a 3-month window to view all presentations, learn at your own pace to get the most out of our conferences.
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