Jonathan F. (Jon) Duncan, Thursday, February 16, 2012 | Filed under: Disabilities, School Board Policies, Non-discrimination, Legislation, Food Allergies, Office of Civil Rights
The U.S. Department of Education recently provided two resources designed to aid schools in interpreting the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The first resource is a
Dear Colleague letter which highlights changes to the ADA adopted in 2008 (made effective in January 2009). The second resource is a
Questions and Answers document which provides basic information about OCR and application of the statutory amendments to students, or other individuals, who may be protected by the ADA and/or Section 504. While neither resource can provide answers to detailed scenarios, both documents provide a good refresher on these important disability discrimination laws. The documents also include important policy-related reminders and links to other helpful authorities.
Stephanie Lovett-Bowman, Wednesday, January 25, 2012 | Filed under: Disabilities
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights recently issued a
“Dear Colleague” letter providing guidance for school districts regarding compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) as well as a frequently-asked-questions reference. The ADAAA is widely considered to have expanded the definition of a “disability” requiring accommodation. While the guidance does not provide new standards, OCR’s letter and
FAQ are an additional reference for school officials sorting through disability accommodation issues.