• School Supplies in the background with the words Section 504 in the foreground

Section 504

  • Section 504 is a federal civil rights law under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. It provides protection against discrimination for individuals with disabilities. Students in school settings fall under the civil rights protection of Section 504. Section 504 guarantees the right to full participation and access to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) with enforcement being from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Section 504 is designed to provide equal access and fairness in general education to students with disabilities, through what is known as a Section 504 Accommodation Plan or an Individual Accommodation Plan (IAP). It is not a plan designed to enhance a student’s performance, but rather a way to provide fairness and equal access to education. Section 504 requires the provision of FAPE for students who are identified as having a disability.

  • FAPE for students who are identified as having a disability

    Nested Blue, yellow, orange and red circles

504 Child Find Notice

  • Pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the District has a duty to identify, refer, evaluate and if eligible, provide a free, appropriate public education to disabled students. For additional information about the rights of parents of eligible children, or for answers to any questions you might have about identification, evaluation and placement into Section 504 programs, please contact Gina Hudson by phone at 706-826-1131, email at hudsogi@boe.richmond.k12.ga.us or by mail at 864 Broad St. Augusta, GA 30901.

GA Special Needs Scholarship Program

  • The Georgia Department of Education determines scholarship awards in our Scholarship Calculator based on data provided to us annually by local school systems. When we receive a parent inquiry form regarding a scholarship award or absence of an award with an IEP or 504 Plan we must initiate an internal review of the case across all our data systems, as well as coordinating with each local school system individually to review their records to validate whether or not a student should qualify for a scholarship award. At the opening of the scholarship calculator each year we receive numerous requests for individual review, and we are processing them as expeditiously as possible to provide a determination to families. We appre​ciate your understanding as we work through the proper review of each Parent Inquiry Form.​

    To qualify for the Georgia Special Scholarship award with a 504 Plan for the 2023-2024 school year the student must meet following qualifications: 
     
    1) The student's parent currently resides within Georgia and has been a Georgia resident for at least one calendar year however, that the one-year requirement shall not apply if the student's parent is an active duty military service member stationed in Georgia within the previous year; AND
     
    2) The student had a 504 Plan in effect during the 2022-2023​ school year relating to one or more of these conditions:
    • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Attention deficit disorder (ADD);
    • Autism spectrum disorder;
    • Bipolar disorder;
    • Cancer;
    • Cerebral palsy;
    • Cystic fibrosis;
    • Deafness;
    • Down syndrome;
    • Drug or alcohol abuse;
    • Dual sensory impairment;
    • Dyslexia;
    • Emotional or behavioral disorder;
    • Epilepsy;
    • Hearing impairment;
    • Intellectual disability;
    • Muscular dystrophy
    • Specific learning disability;
    • Spina bifida;
    • Traumatic brain injury
    • Visual impairment; or
    • Any rare disease identified by the National Institutes of Health's Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center's list of rare disease disorders.; AND
     
    3) The student spent the prior school year in attendance* at a Georgia public school.
     
    *Prior school year in attendance - the student was enrolled and reported by a public school system or school systems for funding purposes at the time of both FTE program counts, conducted each school year in October and March. See OCGA 20-2-2112 (5)​
     
    Prior school year in attendance shall not apply if:
    • The student's parent is an active duty military service member stationed in Georgia within the previous year; OR
    • The student has been adopted or placed in a permanent guardianship from foster care pursuant to an order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction within the previous year; OR
    • The student previously qualified for a scholarship as provided in state law.

    Please note that previously qualified only waives the prior school year in attendance provision, all other requirements including having a 504 Plan during the previous school year and enrollment in a public school are still in 
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