A 504 plan is a written plan under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, a civil rights law. It is for a student whose disability substantially limits a major life activity, such as learning, reading, concentrating, or thinking. The plan does not change what your child is expected to learn. It changes how your child gets access to learning, through supports called accommodations. The school must provide a free appropriate public education under Section 504 (34 CFR §104.33), and it must evaluate a child before deciding placement (34 CFR §104.35).
An accommodations list is a starting point, not a menu to order from. Match each support to a real barrier your child faces, written clearly enough that every teacher follows it the same way.
Parents often ask about a written daily schedule with changes warned in advance, a calm space when overloaded, planned social and lunch arrangements, sensory supports such as noise-reducing headphones where noise is a barrier, and instructions in clear, literal words.
Parents often ask about audio access to books and texts, speech-to-text tools for written work, extra time for reading-heavy tests, no requirement to read aloud in front of the class without warning, spelling not counted against a child in other subjects, and copies of notes so listening is not split with copying.
Parents often ask about a named trusted adult and check-in plan, a safe way to take a short break and return to class, flexibility on deadlines after absences with a clear make-up plan, and catching up spread out rather than piled into one week. If safety is ever a concern, tell the school and a health professional the same day.
Write a short, dated letter or email to the counselor or principal. Name your child, describe the condition and the barrier you see, and ask for an evaluation and a meeting to consider a 504 plan (34 CFR §104.35). Attach any professional report you have, but know a private diagnosis alone does not decide the outcome; the school evaluates and the team decides. Keep proof of delivery.
504 plan: accommodations that give a student with a disability equal access to general education.
IEP: specially designed instruction, with goals and services, for a student who qualifies under the IDEA law.
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