Review of The Laws: Section 504 and the IDEA

• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
  According to this law, parents of qualifying children have the right to develop a Section 504 plan with their child's school. To qualify for protection under Section 504, a child must have a record of such impairment, or be regarded as having such impairment. Schools can lose federal funding if they do not comply with this law. Parents can use these laws to ensure that, while at school, their children with diabetes can fully participate in all school activities, while at the same time caring for their medical needs. This means that the school cannot refuse to allow a child to be on the honor roll, deny credit to a student whose absenteeism is related to diabetes, refuse to administer medication (a school cannot require parents to waive liability as a condition of giving medicine), and determine sports/extracurricular participation without regard to the student's diabetes. Any school that receives Federal funding must comply with IDEA and Section 504 laws. A child need not require special education to be protected.
• The Americans with Disabilities Act
  This law prohibits all schools and day care centers, except those run by religious organizations, from discriminating against children with disabilities, including diabetes. Protection under is this law is the same as that for Section 504.
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
  IDEA mandates the federal government to provides funding to education agencies, state and local, to provide free and appropriate education to qualifying students with disabilities. This includes children who have diabetes. As with the other two laws you must show that diabetes can, at times, adversely affect educational performance. The school is then required to develop an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) to accommodate your child's needs.

Sample 504 Plans and IEPs From Our Readers

These sample 504 plans and IEPs are arranged by grade. Each is stored in Microsoft Word 2000 format. You are free to use these for your child or children. Click on the link to display or download the Word document.

Grade		Sample 504 Plans (Age and Insulin Regimen)		Plans from Outside the US
Pre-Kindergarten		Age 4, Injections Age 5, Injections
Kindergarten		Age 5, Insulin Pump Age 5, Insulin Pump Age 5, Injections Age 6, Injections Age 6, Injections Age 6, Injections Age 6, Insulin Pump
Grade 1		Age 6, Insulin Pump Age 6, Injections
Grade 2		Age 7, Insulin Pump
Grade 3		Age 8, Injections Age 8, Injections
Grade 4		Age 9, Insulin Pump Age 9, Injections
Grade 5
Grade 6				Canada - Age 10, Insulin Pump
Grade 7		Age 12, Insulin Pump Age 12, Insulin Pump     (Teacher Handout)		Canada - Age 12, Insulin Pump
Grade 8		Age 13, Injections Age 13, Injections Age 13, Insulin Pump
Grade 9
Grade 10		Age 15, Insulin Pump Age 16, Insulin Pump
Grade 11		Age 16, Insulin Pump SAT Letter
Grade 12		Age 17, Insulin Pump SAT Letter

How To Share Your 504 Plan or IEP

To share your 504 Plan or IEP with other parents, please send an e-mail to Include the child's age, age at diagnosis, insulin regimen (MDI-syringe, MDI-pen, pump, etc.), state, and optionally the school district. Include the 504 Plan or IEP as a Microsoft Word document attachment.

Note for High School Students

High school students with diabetes can get special accommodations when taking standardized tests (e.g., PSAT, SAT, and ACT). These accommodations typically include "stop the clock" breaks for blood glucose testing, bathroom visits, or taking emergency glucose to treat low blood sugars. Diabetes is typically not a reason for additional time in taking a test, however. Testing organizations may require that students have a 504 plan on file before providing the accommodations. Parents and students are strongly encouraged to discuss this with guidance counselors at the beginning of each school year.

Presentations about Diabetes at School

• Back to School with Diabetes by Crystal Jackson
  From the Friends for Life 2004 conference
  View in your browser | Download the PowerPoint Presentation (5.5 MB)
• Section 504 Plans by Crystal Jackson
  From the Friends for Life 2004 conference
  View in your browser | Download the PowerPoint Presentation (5.5 MB)

Additional Resources

• Letter for Substitute Teacher (Microsoft Word format)
• Daily Schedule Template (Microsoft Excel format)
• Letter to School Classmates for a grade school child (Microsoft Word format)
• Letter for Substitute Teacher (PDF)
• The American Academy of Pediatrics offers Guidelines for the Administration of Medication in School.
• Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• Section 504 & ADA from Wrightslaw
• Sample 504 Plan from the ADA
• Guidelines For the Provision of Health and Educational Services For Students in the New York City Public Schools includes glucose monitoring and insulin pump forms.
• The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund publishes books that help explain the rights of people with disabilities. They also publish a Sample 504 Plan and Sample Healthcare Plan.
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997
• Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Amendments Of 1997 And IDEA Regulations Of 1999: Summary Of Changes (with Emphasis On IEPs And Discipline)
• ACT Policy for Documentation to Support Requests for Testing Accommodations on the ACT Assessment
• How do I become approved for accommodations on College Board tests? (covers the SAT test)
• Services for Students with Disabilities from the College Board
• Section 504 Questions & Answers can help parents prepare a 504 plan for their children with diabetes.

Last Updated: Sun Sep 09 12:03:52 2007
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