504 vs. IEP

If your child has a 504 plan with the Merrimack School District, I am your point of contact for the Middle School.  504 Progress meetings can take place anytime during the school year by either parent or teacher request.  Transition meetings for 8th grade occur around March while 7th grade occur in April/May.      

If you find that your child is having difficulties in school, please be sure that your first few points of contact are with the classroom teachers.  Collaborating with them first will help you gain understanding as to what they are observing in class, the supports, and resources they have offered/provide for your student, as well as any other information that would be helpful.  Taking time to provide further information to the teacher is also always welcomed.    

How do I make a referral and how does a student qualify? 

Your child must have been given a diagnosis by a physician which may be impacting their ability to access their education in-school. 

You will then contact me, and we will set up a referral meeting. The referral meeting will consist of myself, the parent(s)/Guardian(s), the student and at least one teacher from the teaching team. 

If your child has been given a diagnosis by a physician and has suggested you make a referral to 504, please note that even if the physician states "should have a 504 plan" it is not a given and we need to follow the referral process set by the ADA.  For a student to qualify for a 504 plan their diagnosis must "substantially impact" them accessing their education in-school.  Concrete information that will be looked at to consider qualification will be grades and standardized testing.  If your child is an active learner, these are considered good indicators as to if your student is accessing their education in-school.  Grades such as C's and B's are not indicators that a student’s diagnosis "substantially impacts" their ability to access their education in-school.  Other factors that will be consider are teacher observations, due to the fact they are in the classroom and recognize how the student is performing in that environment.  This reporting will also help determine if a student is being an active learner in-school or not and could indicate if this lack of engagement and effort has resulted in their poor performance.  Student perspective is another key factor in understanding how they are performing in school and if the diagnosis is impacting them from accessing their education and/or whether being an engaged active learner is a variable.  Therefore, it is crucial that they attend their meetings.  Parent perspective regarding what they are seeing at home is also important but again, does not indicate how the student is performing while in-school.   

Therefore, to determine if the diagnosis is "substantially impacting" a student’s ability to access their education in-school and qualify for a 504 plan, the student must be an engaged, active learner whose diagnosis substantially impacts their ability to access learning in-school without specific accommodations being provided.