NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF HANDICAP/DISABILITY
1. Designation of responsible employee
The Board of Education shall designate an individual as the responsible employee to coordinate school district compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and its administrative regulations and with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The designee, the district’s Section 504 compliance officer, shall formulate procedures for carrying out the policies in this statement and shall be responsible for continuing surveillance of district educational programs and activities with regard to compliance with Section 504 and its administrative regulations.
The designee shall, upon adoption of this policy and once each academic year thereafter, notify all students and employees of the district of the name, office, address and telephone number of the Section 504 compliance officer. Notification shall be by posting and/or other means sufficient to reasonably advise all students and employees.
2. Grievance procedure
Any student or employee shall have a ready means of resolving any claim of discrimination on the basis of handicap in the educational programs or activities of the district. To this end the following policy is adopted.
In the event a student or employee believes that there has been a violation of Section 504 or its administrative regulations, he or she shall mail or deliver to the employee designated as Section 504 compliance officer a written statement setting out the alleged violations in specific terms, describing the incident or activity involved, the individuals involved and the dates, times and locations involved.
Within 2 days of receiving the statement, the Section 504 compliance officer shall provide the individual filing the written statement an opportunity to discuss the matter personally, if requested.
The Section 504 compliance officer shall make such additional investigation as is necessary to determine the complete facts involved and shall report to the Board of Education his finding and recommendations regarding resolution of the matter within 14 days of the initial meeting with the person making the statement.
If the student or employee submitting the written statement of an alleged violation is not satisfied with the handling of the matter by the superintendent or the Board of Education, he or she may appear before the Board of Education and present the matter directly to the Board.
3. Dissemination of policy
The superintendent of schools shall notify students and parents of elementary and secondary school students, and employees that it does not discriminate on the basis of handicap in the educational programs or activities which it operates and that it is required by Section 504 and its administrative regulations not to discriminate in such a manner. The notification shall be made in the form and manner required by law or regulation.
Adopted:
LEGAL REFS.: 29 U.S.C. § 701 et seq. (Section 504)
42
U.S.C. § 1201 et seq. (Americans with Disabilities Act)
34
C.F.R. 104 et seq.
CROSS REF.: IHBA,
Special Education/Programs for Handicapped/Disabled/Exceptional Students