IEP VS 504
- An IEP is for specialized instruction and related services. The child may be taken out of the regular classroom for some or all of the day. A 504 plan is for accomodations to be made to help the child. The child will remain in the regular classroom.
- IEP’s are controlled by Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It is more controlled and requires documentation of measurable growth. This protects the child and parents. 504 plans are controlled by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. It outlines specific requirements that the child needs to receive equal access to public education.
- An IEP requires a written plan, 504 plan does not.
- Parents rights are well protected by IDEA but not so much by Section 504
- The school MUST invite the parent for meetings for IEP’s. They do not have to invite the parent to a meeting for a 504 Plan. They do, however, have to notify the parent that a 504 Plan was developed.
- IEP’s MUST be updated annually. 504 Plans do not have to be updated annually but they should in order to ensure the child’s needs are still being met.
- Section 504 continues to protect the child after leaving school. The IEP does not.
Neither an IEP or a 504 Plan are disability specific.
To qualify for an IEP, a child must have a disability that adversely affects educational performance. It makes no matter what that disability is.
Before my grandson was properly diagnosed as autistic, he was diagnosed as ADHD. The school told me that ADHD does not qualify for an IEP.
This was NOT true. Whether he is autistic or just ADHD, his disability prevented him from receiving an education in a regular classroom.
That IS enough to qualify for an IEP.
If a child’s disability does NOT adversely affect educational performance, they will not qualify for an IEP. However, they are still protected under section 504.
References:
My Autistic Grandkid 