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Tennessee DOE offers Section 504 training for LEA staff, stresses 504–IDEA differences and procedural safeguards
Summary
State education attorneys and psychologists led a virtual training for LEA staff reviewing Section 504 obligations, differences with IDEA, evaluation best practices (including a 60‑day IDEA timeline recommendation), grievance options, discipline (MDRs) and accessibility duties; presenters also highlighted TN PULSE case‑management tools.
Shondrea Hirsi, Assistant Counsel for Civil Rights and Academic Support at the Tennessee Department of Education, and April Evinger, the department's director of psychological and behavioral services, led a statewide webinar for local education agencies on Section 504 compliance and practice.
The presenters framed Section 504 as a federal civil‑rights access law in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that prohibits disability discrimination and requires LEAs to ensure equal access to programs, activities and facilities for students with disabilities. "Section 504 is an access law," Evinger said, contrasting it with IDEA's focus on specially designed instruction. Hirsi added that 504 protections can apply whether or not a student has a formal plan: "A student who has diabetes and does not need a 504 plan is still a person with a disability and still protected by Section 504."
The training underscored several recurring obligations for districts. LEAs must adopt and publish a Section 504 policy that includes an…
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