504 plan?

[KTas]

Hey everyone,
Does anyone here have experience setting up a 504 plan for high school? We just set up a health plan with his school’s nurse, and would like to move to the next step? Anyone have a template or advice as to what I should ask for? For eg, his grades slipped after his hospital stay, bc he was still expected to makeup the whole load without any allowances immediately upon his return. It was too much stress. His teachers were nice, but in the end, that did not help.

 

[pdx]

My daughter had a 504 plan for all four years in high school. She went to a large public school and her counselor was well-meaning but not that pro-active. What that meant for us was that I always needed to push for our 504 plan meeting to happen each year, and then I always e-mailed a copy of the 504 plan to each of her teachers about 3 weeks into the school year (since the counselor didn't always send it), along with a short cover letter letting them know how to contact me if they had any questions.

Here's some info from the Crohn's and Colitis foundation that was helpful to us in writing her plan:

https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/sites/default/files/2019-07/school-accommodation-12-16.pdf
and a sample template: (ours was MUCH shorter than this)

https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation...s/patient-resources/template-section-504-plan
I'm going to try to PM you a copy of my daughter's plan.

 

[KTas]

Thank you so so much @pdx. This gives me hope that we can make it work for my son. His counselor is not proactive either given my experience. My email is [email protected] if the dm doesn’t work. Your template will be very helpful.

So once the health plan is in place, who do I contact for the 504? His counselor? The nurse gave me the impression that it’s a whole process that requires review from a number of people.

QUOTE="pdx, post: 1035734, member: 409910"]
My daughter had a 504 plan for all four years in high school. She went to a large public school and her counselor was well-meaning but not that pro-active. What that meant for us was that I always needed to push for our 504 plan meeting to happen each year, and then I always e-mailed a copy of the 504 plan to each of her teachers about 3 weeks into the school year (since the counselor didn't always send it), along with a short cover letter letting them know how to contact me if they had any questions.

Here's some info from the Crohn's and Colitis foundation that was helpful to us in writing her plan:

https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/sites/default/files/2019-07/school-accommodation-12-16.pdf
and a sample template: (ours was MUCH shorter than this)

https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation...s/patient-resources/template-section-504-plan
I'm going to try to PM you a copy of my daughter's plan.
[/QUOTE]

 

[pdx]

Take a look at the second page of the school accomodation fact sheet that I linked above--it has a list of the steps you'll need to take with the school. Go ahead and start that process before you worry about the actual plan, since it takes a while to set up meetings and fill out the medical forms required.

 

[crohnsinct]

It is a "whole thing" but necessary. You first have to request the 504 in writing. Once you do that the legality of the whole process kicks in. They have to respond and convene a meeting in a specified amount of time, you will need a letter from the GI (they are very familiar with this) stating the disease and complications etc, and the school has to determine the child needs one. I have never heard of a school not agreeing that Crohn's is a qualified illness. It's just a process. Then when they agree that the student qualifies, you meet to discuss particular accommodations. It's not that bad. The links and templates PDX provided will be helpful. WE could all give you the unique things we asked for. One thing for high school could be a parking spot. Not all schools have adequate parking for students and will give them out by lottery. If you don't get one, you may have to park far away. That is a HUGE issue for a kid who is flaring. My daughter didn't get a spot all year but they allowed her to park in teacher lot when flaring.

 

[cassimw]

This particular resource was created by the Parent Advisory Council of ImproveCareNow (a collaborative community where patients, parents, clinicians, and researchers work together to improve the health and care of children and youth): Accommodations Toolkit - the goal is to help you better understand and navigate the accommodations process and it's a fantastic resource. The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation also has a lot of resources on their website for various things (which you have probably already discovered). Here's their info on 504's: https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation...s/patient-resources/template-section-504-plan.

 

[KTas]

Thank you so much @pdx @crohnsinct @cassimw ... you have been so helpful. just to give you all an update, we had a meeting with the school and have a good plan in place. Hoping it will all work out next year when he goes to school in person!

 

[cassimw]

Glad to hear it!