504 plan

What It Means

A 504 plan is the written set of supports, aids and services a school agrees to give a student with a disability under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 504 is a civil rights law, and the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) oversees how schools apply it. A student who qualifies is entitled to a free appropriate public educationPublic schoolA school run by publicly elected or appointed officials and paid for mainly with public money, including district, charter and magnet schools. See more: regular or special education and related aids and services designed to meet that student's needs as well as other students' needs are met.

How Parents Say It

• "She has a 504 for extra test time."
• "We're asking the school to evaluate him for a 504."
• "Is it an IEP or a 504?"

The Breakdown

What the rule says. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 bars discrimination on the basis of disability by school districts that receive federal funds. It entitles a qualifying student to a free appropriate public education, which OCR describes as regular or special education and related aids and services that meet the student's educational needs as adequately as other students' needs are met. The written list of what the school will provide is what families and schools call a 504 plan.

Who it applies to. Students with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. OCR's examples of impairments include physiological conditions and mental or psychological disorders, such as specific learning disabilities, emotional or mental illness and intellectual disabilities. The ADA Amendments Act widened the examples of major life activities to include concentrating, reading and thinking, which OCR pointed to in its July 2016 guidance on students with ADHDADHD in kidsAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children: ongoing trouble paying attention, sitting still or controlling impulses, beyond what's usual for their age. See more.

Documents to gather

• Your written permission for the evaluation. OCR reads Section 504 as requiring the district to get a parent's permission first, and it has accepted written consent.
• Any reports from doctors or specialists that describe the condition.
• Report cardsReport card(1) The school's periodic report of a student's grades to parents; (2) the yearly public report on school and district results that ESSA requires states and districts to publish. See more, teacher notes or work samples that show where school is hard.

Your safeguards. OCR requires school districts to set up procedural safeguards: notice to parents, a chance to review the relevant records, an impartial hearing in which parents can take part and be represented by a lawyer, and a review procedure.

Official source. OCR's "Protecting Students with Disabilities" FAQ and its 2016 Parent and Educator Resource Guide to Section 504, as checked September 30, 2026.

Good to Know

OCR published a Dear Colleague Letter and Resource Guide on students with ADHD in July 2016, along with a know-your-rights document for parents, explaining how Section 504 applies to them. The same office takes complaints of disability discrimination in schools. Before a first 504 meeting, ask the school for its written Section 504 procedures, since each district sets up its own safeguards process.

Related Terms and Categories

• IEP

  An IEP (Individualized Education Program) is the written plan a public school makes for a child who qualifies for special education under IDEA.

• ADHD in kids

  Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children: ongoing trouble paying attention, sitting still or controlling impulses, beyond what's usual for their age.

• Evaluation request

  A request, usually from a parent, that the public school evaluate a child for a disability and special education services under IDEA.

School and education for parents