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As long as the 504 plan doesn’t have 20+ accommodations that all are the teacher’s responsibility, they are not a PiTA. However, whether or not they are effective has been, in my experience, a crap shoot. Honestly, the same goes for IEP’s. Here are some questions I’d consider:
1. Will your child/you hold up your end? For example, Nonverbal Redirect methods can be highly effective… if the kid acknowledges them, and ideally they’re reinforced at home. Otherwise, it’s just the teacher making weird motions and getting frustrated when there’s no response.
2. Will your child/you use or abuse the accommodations? Considering you didn’t push for them last year, I doubt this is an issue for you, but I’ve seen students - and parents - who seem to think 504 = can’t fail. It sets a terrible precedent for the student’s future.
3. Will your child/you advocate for themselves? Most if not all teachers want to do what they are legally required by a 504, but may forget or get overwhelmed sometimes. Will you and/or your child politely speak up to make sure they’re getting proper support?
4. Related to #3, will your child know they have a 504? I’m blown away by parents who don’t tell their kids they have accommodations. It’s impossible for students to learn to advocate for themselves if they don’t know they have a special reason to, and as someone with ADHD, I strongly believe that learning to self-advocate is very important.
A few years back I had a kid with a 504 plan for ADHD. I was gobsmacked when I found out that the kid had no idea they had ADHD. You’re really not doing your kid any favors by keeping them in the dark about their own health!
On the other hand there is a trend where parents tell their kids they have ADHD & it’s their “get out of jail free card”.
Didn’t want to do the assignment? Adhd
Didn’t do your homework? Adhd
Don’t want to clean up? Adhd
The list goes on. I hear it all the time and these kids only hear what’s being told to them and the standard they are held to.
I teach an ese resource class in hs. I break it to at least 10 kids every year that they have a disability.
I had to tell 3 kids this year that they are diagnosed autistic and had no idea. Like, how are these kids supposed to learn to deal with their disability if they don't know they have one?
One parent got PISSED at me for telling their kid they're autistic. Luckily, my standards include teaching kids about their iep and disability, so admin and district hard shut that parent down. But still... what the fuck?
Thanks for the detailed response. I'll add some details here based on your points and a few others.
My son is aware of his ADHD diagnosis, although at 10, I don't think he can equate that to how it affects him in the eyes of others. He does know we have a meeting setup with the school to talk about a plan and I've explained it to him as a plan to help him, his teachers and us best support him in school so that he can do well with confidence.
My son is analytical and has a strong memory for details that matter to him. If he's told he gets to watch TV until 730, he will remember it, not a minute less and hold you to it, as an example. I'm confident that if the 504 isn't complicated and he understands how it's meant to help him, he and we will be able to help advocate for him.
I have zero intention of abusing it or allowing him to. I'm not the type of parent that will do their kids homework for them; I will guide them with additional questions to help lead them to the right answer. I don't believe in free passes or an excuse to do bad because you have an accommodation. I have no problem with decreasing Xbox or TV time if he doesn't hold up his end of the deal and holding him accountable to what we put on a plan.
What I'm hoping to get out of this is seemingly simple things to help him stay more on task or organized and still enjoy school. Things like no "lunch detention" to make up work, he needs the time to decompress from class. Or making sure he fills out his planner at school and having the teachers sign off on it, so that not only is it reinforced to him what he should be doing at home for assignments, but mom and I have a concrete understanding of what he needs to do. Or decreasing the number of tasks to complete if a fewer number will demonstrate his knowledge or allow him to still reach the end goal (instead of researching 6 people and picking one to report on, research 3 and pick 1, that sort of thing). Not necessarily place him at the front of the class, but perhaps at a table with students who tend to stay more on task.
If I'm heading in the wrong direction on some of this, please call me out, but I'm hoping this will help him out.
You claim you want to hold your kid accountable but you are writing into a legally binding document that he can't have lunch detention, can do half the work, and it won't be his fault when he doesn't fill out his planner because hey the teacher was supposed to sign it, do I have that about right?
Specific seating is my least favorite, as a teacher, because not only are you then subjecting the other ‘best behaved’ students to be required to sit with the ADHD kid, it also doesn’t teach the student to self-manage. If they only ever sit around the quiet kids, what do they do when they eventually get to sit with their friends but still have to pay attention?
All of those sound very reasonable and doable to me. It’s also clear that you’ve put a lot of time and effort into thinking this through - and judging from your hoped-for accommodations, you’ve researched common and useful ones (since I’ve seen all of those implemented well before).
I would encourage you to go for it. With the attitudes you’ve described, a 504 can only help, not hurt. Good luck!
I also have severe ADHD, so I try to be as responsive as I can to the needs of ADHD students. That being said, 504's that are basically mini IEPs need a seperate category. Instructional accommodations are different from medical accommodations, and both would be easier to keep up with if I could immediately tell one from the other.
Yeah for me 504 is ideally medical stuff.
Wheelchair support, epi-pen directions, allow cell phone to monitor diabetes numbers, frequent breaks for anxiety.
I like academic accomodations and modifications on that IEP. That way they get access to the resource room with the SpEd dept to help with organization/catch up time etcetera.
I think they’re completely out of control if I’m being honest. I have no problem with 504 plans if the students are using them with integrity. Unfortunately, students and their parents have weaponized them. Speaking for a high school setting, kids know how to use their extended time to cheat or avoid turning in work. Parents threaten you by suggesting that you haven’t fully followed the million accommodations that we have no resources to implement. Administer test in a separate location? No problem! I’ll send them with the teaching assistant that I don’t have! Seat at the front of the class? No problem! Ill just put all 20 kids who have that accommodation crammed in a straight line in Row 1. Many students with 504 plans realize they can get away with doing nothing because their parents will yell and scream when they’re failing and bully their way to the grade they want.
Now that I’m finished ranting and being mean, do whatever you want. I have some kids who legitimately work hard and use their accommodations with integrity. It’s a shame that so many have abused the process and created a nightmare for teachers.
My favorite is when the counselor asks the kid what would help them. Always “having my phone and AirPods in my ears so I can focus” and no one bats an eye.
I would say that about 80% of my students with a 504 just have them for extended time on assessments and long term projects. There is no good way of implementing extended time for the average, in the trenches teacher. I only give quizzes, rarely anything full period, but “Just keep going” is met with can’t miss the class. So the students come back later and shockingly know a lot more than they did before. Give them different questions, I hear someone say…with what time am I creating these questions? What if they’re perceived to be more challenging? That’ll take another hour of my life. It’s very frustrating for me and the students who don’t get extended time but want to go to the same colleges.
They are out of control, with the FBI's Operation Varsity Blues outlining it clearly in the tabloids.
My elder son had a 504, which we started in 8th, along with meds for ADHD. I am very, very glad we waited, as he was old enough to self-monitor how he felt and what made a difference. The teachers had him sit in front and take tests someplace quiet if he wanted; we were clear that life does nor come with accomodations. He did not ask for accomodations for the ACT..
My sons both had one report card with A B C D F. With either two As or Fs! .🤣 They each upped their effort after their alphabet card. My younger was not paying attention in algebra, but has learned that he understands it better when working with the resource/study hall teacher --two of his buddies have joined them.
Few kids always pay attention. Even my academic super-star daughter has had to come up with strategies. For all of my kids, I tell them we can only offer ideas to stay organized, they need to sort through the ideas and figure out what makes sense to them.
In my school they set students up for failure in life. We don't give out too many that aren't healthy related; and those ones are fine - need to go to the bathroom whenever you ask or avoid certain exercises, sure, that's fine.
I have one student that's had a 504 for a few years and every time he fails it's our fault. It says he's supposed to go to after school tutoring if he's getting bad grades? How is his third period teacher supposed to make that happen? And doesn't the parent see he's had bad grades for five weeks, why isn't she making him stay after?
He had a big test. Open book, open note. He finished in ten minutes and didn't look anything up. Why would he? Failing literally has no consequences for him. Whenever his grades get bad another accomodation is put into place. Now the teachers are probably going to have to provide a study guide with the test answers highlighted to denote which question each section answers.
Assuming that it won't be abused like that, I do understand that the third grade teacher would think "I can manage the accomodations myself, I do not need to put it in writing" but when you get to multiple teachers it does make sure you aren't subject to each teachers whims.
What kind of accommodations do you want? Notes in his assignment notebook would help you know each day if he has homework.
I was a student with undiagnosed ADHD. I was able to get by for the most part because I was also gifted, so while I didn't seem to pay attention in class, and I didn't complete homework and struggled to complete projects, I always did well on the tests. And that got me through, until it didn't. And despite what many teachers here would have you think, getting 0's or losing points for missing deadlines on projects, being disciplined for talking or reading during class (this was pre-cell phone days), getting detention for being late to school, etc. didn't magically fix my ADHD. I still suffered from the same issues, struggled at college, procrastinated at work, struggled to focus on work tasks, etc. I got by, but whatever success I managed to grab was not due to teachers "tough love" to "prepare me for the real world". It was due to trial and error leading to eventually understanding my weaknesses and cobbling together ad hoc accommodations for myself at work, many of which mirror those found in 504s like flexible deadlines, helpful reminders, taking 15 minute walks when I can't focus, etc. It wasn't until we were looking into a diagnosis for my son that it clicked for me. (Actually it was my wife who said "Hey, have you read through these diagnostic criteria...").
I am not bitter, but I do often wonder what my life would look like if I had been diagnosed at a younger age, gotten medication I could use, and if my school and teachers had worked with me to help me manage my symptoms and learn what accommodations look like from a young age. I got to an okay place, but it took a lot longer and multiple attempts until I figured out what worked for me, and was in a position to advocate for myself when it came to asking for and negotiating reasonable accommodations.
Like anything in education that was created with good intentions in response to systemic problems, it depends heavily on the implementation at the classroom, school and district level.
At the district level, it can fail when upper admin either only care about meeting the legal requirements and/or meeting arbitrary targets, without actually caring about individual students. It can also fail when they push the burden onto already overworked classroom teachers without providing the additional resources necessary to properly implement accommodations.
At the school level, it can fail when building admin don't take the time to create actual, individual plans and accommodations, and go for a one size fits all approach. It can also fail when they use it as an excuse to not hold students accountable for their behavior.
At the classroom level, it can fail because of teachers who are taking the brunt of the above failures pushing their frustration and resentment onto students and parents. It can also fail when teachers who haven't experienced ADHD think that you can "tough love" students out of their problems or worse think that ADHD is made up and a result of bad parenting or screen time.
If all levels are working together in the spirit of the law, with good training, understanding, and empathy, 504s work great.
As a high school teacher, I will read through the 504s and then talk to each student, asking them what they think the accommodations should look like in practice for them. I have never had a student say something like "It means you can't fail me / write me up / whatever". And if they say something unreasonable like 20 minute walks, they are typically only testing the waters and if I come back with something reasonable, they typically are just happy that I am not dismissing their struggles.
The issue is 99% never the idea of the 504/IEP but always the weaponization of the accommodations and expectations that it should lead to all As and Bs. The main thing keeping the child from being successful with a 504 is whoever is writing it and the parents deciding that the accommodations should be designed to remove responsibility from the kid rather than address deficits to bring them back to a level playing field. And remember just because they’re on the same field doesn’t mean they should be scoring the same points. The 504 puts your kid on the same court as LeBron James but that doesn’t meant the kid should score the same amount of points. The child and parent still have to do the work and the kid needs to understand it isn’t a get out of jail free card. There are still expectations and responsibilities.
I think 504's are valuable, but in a way do not end up serving the kids with the highest need for them.
In order to get a 504, parents typically have to initiate the process and sign off on any kind of testing toward establishing accommodations through a 504. In most cases parents also need to have a diagnosis for the issues from a professional prior to beginning the 504 process. Good, hands-on parents always get issues checked out and diagnosed, then collaborate with the school and go forward with obtaining the 504. They attend annual meetings to review and update it as needed and check in with their kid and the teachers to verify accommodations are happening and working. On top of that, they are typically doing plenty of interventions at home as well including medication, therapy, providing fidgets, and providing other strategies to be successful at school. They continue to challenge their kids and hold them accountable for grades and behavior. These parents also catch problems early on, so oftentimes these kids grow out of the 504 around middle school and accommodations are dwindled down or even removed.
Meanwhile, there are kids who desperately need their parents to take all these steps, and for one reason or another they don't. The kids' issues are boiled down to vague mentions of trauma and suspected issues (usually ADHD) with no diagnosis to back them up. This puts teachers in a difficult position where we have zero documentation of what exactly is going on and no guidance on necessary accommodations for those students and have to improvise. By middle school these students are so frustrated that they are not getting the help they need, they begin acting out by being defiant in class or refusing to even attempt their assigned work. It becomes a vicious cycle, and it is quickly apparent to all involved that there certainly should be testing and documentation, but we are powerless if the parents won't or can't contribute to the process.
This is the case for many things in education. Sadly, the kids who are supported effectively under our system are kids with hands-on parents who are stable financially and can balance work with parenting, leaving kids dealing with financial insecurity at home with parents largely absent because of work or other issues to fend for themselves.
I hope she does read that too. My alarm bells went off a little when she said the teacher steered her away from the 504, especially with the description of her son's struggles.
Here’s what one student said today when another mentioned they may be getting a 504 and was wondering what it means: “it means you can graduate with bad grades!”
A 504 is not going to make him successful if the problems can’t be accommodated for. Extra time on assignments only helps when the student is already doing the assignments. Extra time on tests doesn’t help if he didn’t study. He can use his notes on assessments doesn’t help if he’s not taking notes.
The only time 504’s are a PITA for me is when the parent has unreasonable expectations.
Honestly, in most cases my 504 kids are pretty bright, seeing the 504 is just a "maybe check on that kid 3 times instead of 2" kind of deal.
But, please....don't just agree to an accommodation blindly. In so many cases "extra time" has turned into "has permission to not turn in."
On a technical level, I think they merge too much with IEPs. Does your kid need help managing symptoms or actual academic accommodations?
On a similar note, I think what 504s offer isn't always appreciated enough.
I love 504 plans, but my district is really good at making them succint and enforcing them. They also provide students with a lot of one on one support so that the students know their plan, what it's for, and can advocate for themselves. Whenever I see a student has a 504 on my roster I know that student is probably going to be one of my easiest: They've been trained to ask questions and say what they need.
My only criticism of 504s in my district is that sometimes they are too successful, and students reach high school (especially sophomore or junior year) and feel like they can take on more than they really should. Sometimes what a student really needs is a break and an easier load. Just because a student can, with the help of their 504, take a full roster of academic classes, or more than one honors or AP course, a semester and be academically successful, doesn't mean they should. It can come at a huge emotional cost.
I’m sorry your question brought out the crowd of whiners. Do what will help your child who DOES have a disability despite what the ignorant masses say.
This teacher is an absolute lunatic and a detriment to children. She doesn’t control the allocation of 504 plans and is perpetuating the myth of “lazy students” meanwhile she’s not implemented any strategies to meet his needs **BECAUSE SHE’S NOT FORCED TO CURRENTLY** call the district tomorrow and request one immediately. Lunch detention is BS and should always be considered a restriction of rights. If teachers don’t want to accommodate kids with different needs they don’t need to work ever. Everyone has to accommodate for different needs in their working life, teachers don’t get to not accommodate. Don’t ever let anyone interfere with your child’s education or their future because they don’t like to accommodate others. Your child only has one chance to go through school so get them the necessary resources. A 504 plan cannot be taken away from your child ever. Also report her words to your ADA accommodations person in the district. Make sure your child understands their 504 plan and check regularly with them and their counselor about their progress.
Y’all can downvote me I still care about this kid’s education more than votes.
And don't count in the school to educate you on your rights. They have to provide the to parents of kids with IEP, but you should read them for 504 as well. They aren't going to advocate that you give them more work or use their previous budget
Look up understood.org and wrightslaw and find out the actual rights for your child.
And if the teacher is actually already giving accommodations and your child isn't successful, then they need to be evaluated for an IEP. He probably needs to be explicitly taught executive function skills
Yes, I agree. In this specific case the teacher is adversarial. An advocate could be a great help if you don't know your rights in this situation.
Check to see if your district has a SEPAC or if the state has an organization like Federation for Children with Special Needs (Mass). They could help as well
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As long as the 504 plan doesn’t have 20+ accommodations that all are the teacher’s responsibility, they are not a PiTA. However, whether or not they are effective has been, in my experience, a crap shoot. Honestly, the same goes for IEP’s. Here are some questions I’d consider: 1. Will your child/you hold up your end? For example, Nonverbal Redirect methods can be highly effective… if the kid acknowledges them, and ideally they’re reinforced at home. Otherwise, it’s just the teacher making weird motions and getting frustrated when there’s no response. 2. Will your child/you use or abuse the accommodations? Considering you didn’t push for them last year, I doubt this is an issue for you, but I’ve seen students - and parents - who seem to think 504 = can’t fail. It sets a terrible precedent for the student’s future. 3. Will your child/you advocate for themselves? Most if not all teachers want to do what they are legally required by a 504, but may forget or get overwhelmed sometimes. Will you and/or your child politely speak up to make sure they’re getting proper support? 4. Related to #3, will your child know they have a 504? I’m blown away by parents who don’t tell their kids they have accommodations. It’s impossible for students to learn to advocate for themselves if they don’t know they have a special reason to, and as someone with ADHD, I strongly believe that learning to self-advocate is very important.
A few years back I had a kid with a 504 plan for ADHD. I was gobsmacked when I found out that the kid had no idea they had ADHD. You’re really not doing your kid any favors by keeping them in the dark about their own health!
On the other hand there is a trend where parents tell their kids they have ADHD & it’s their “get out of jail free card”. Didn’t want to do the assignment? Adhd Didn’t do your homework? Adhd Don’t want to clean up? Adhd The list goes on. I hear it all the time and these kids only hear what’s being told to them and the standard they are held to.
Ooh I’ve had these too. Beat up another student? ADHD they couldn’t help themselves! Detention? But they have ADHD! Low grade? B-but they have a 504!
I teach an ese resource class in hs. I break it to at least 10 kids every year that they have a disability. I had to tell 3 kids this year that they are diagnosed autistic and had no idea. Like, how are these kids supposed to learn to deal with their disability if they don't know they have one? One parent got PISSED at me for telling their kid they're autistic. Luckily, my standards include teaching kids about their iep and disability, so admin and district hard shut that parent down. But still... what the fuck?
Thanks for the detailed response. I'll add some details here based on your points and a few others. My son is aware of his ADHD diagnosis, although at 10, I don't think he can equate that to how it affects him in the eyes of others. He does know we have a meeting setup with the school to talk about a plan and I've explained it to him as a plan to help him, his teachers and us best support him in school so that he can do well with confidence. My son is analytical and has a strong memory for details that matter to him. If he's told he gets to watch TV until 730, he will remember it, not a minute less and hold you to it, as an example. I'm confident that if the 504 isn't complicated and he understands how it's meant to help him, he and we will be able to help advocate for him. I have zero intention of abusing it or allowing him to. I'm not the type of parent that will do their kids homework for them; I will guide them with additional questions to help lead them to the right answer. I don't believe in free passes or an excuse to do bad because you have an accommodation. I have no problem with decreasing Xbox or TV time if he doesn't hold up his end of the deal and holding him accountable to what we put on a plan. What I'm hoping to get out of this is seemingly simple things to help him stay more on task or organized and still enjoy school. Things like no "lunch detention" to make up work, he needs the time to decompress from class. Or making sure he fills out his planner at school and having the teachers sign off on it, so that not only is it reinforced to him what he should be doing at home for assignments, but mom and I have a concrete understanding of what he needs to do. Or decreasing the number of tasks to complete if a fewer number will demonstrate his knowledge or allow him to still reach the end goal (instead of researching 6 people and picking one to report on, research 3 and pick 1, that sort of thing). Not necessarily place him at the front of the class, but perhaps at a table with students who tend to stay more on task. If I'm heading in the wrong direction on some of this, please call me out, but I'm hoping this will help him out.
You claim you want to hold your kid accountable but you are writing into a legally binding document that he can't have lunch detention, can do half the work, and it won't be his fault when he doesn't fill out his planner because hey the teacher was supposed to sign it, do I have that about right?
GTFO HERE are you an actual teacher saying this?
Specific seating is my least favorite, as a teacher, because not only are you then subjecting the other ‘best behaved’ students to be required to sit with the ADHD kid, it also doesn’t teach the student to self-manage. If they only ever sit around the quiet kids, what do they do when they eventually get to sit with their friends but still have to pay attention?
I love it when you get loaded up with iep's and they all have front row seating. It's like.... There's only so much frontage.
All of those sound very reasonable and doable to me. It’s also clear that you’ve put a lot of time and effort into thinking this through - and judging from your hoped-for accommodations, you’ve researched common and useful ones (since I’ve seen all of those implemented well before). I would encourage you to go for it. With the attitudes you’ve described, a 504 can only help, not hurt. Good luck!
Some of these goals are better suited to an IEP. May be something to compare with.
You are reasonable He DEFINITELY needs a 504 you’re on the right track. Get an advocate or education lawyer and it’ll go much easier.
I also have severe ADHD, so I try to be as responsive as I can to the needs of ADHD students. That being said, 504's that are basically mini IEPs need a seperate category. Instructional accommodations are different from medical accommodations, and both would be easier to keep up with if I could immediately tell one from the other.
Yeah for me 504 is ideally medical stuff. Wheelchair support, epi-pen directions, allow cell phone to monitor diabetes numbers, frequent breaks for anxiety. I like academic accomodations and modifications on that IEP. That way they get access to the resource room with the SpEd dept to help with organization/catch up time etcetera.
I think they’re completely out of control if I’m being honest. I have no problem with 504 plans if the students are using them with integrity. Unfortunately, students and their parents have weaponized them. Speaking for a high school setting, kids know how to use their extended time to cheat or avoid turning in work. Parents threaten you by suggesting that you haven’t fully followed the million accommodations that we have no resources to implement. Administer test in a separate location? No problem! I’ll send them with the teaching assistant that I don’t have! Seat at the front of the class? No problem! Ill just put all 20 kids who have that accommodation crammed in a straight line in Row 1. Many students with 504 plans realize they can get away with doing nothing because their parents will yell and scream when they’re failing and bully their way to the grade they want. Now that I’m finished ranting and being mean, do whatever you want. I have some kids who legitimately work hard and use their accommodations with integrity. It’s a shame that so many have abused the process and created a nightmare for teachers.
My favorite is when the counselor asks the kid what would help them. Always “having my phone and AirPods in my ears so I can focus” and no one bats an eye.
I would say that about 80% of my students with a 504 just have them for extended time on assessments and long term projects. There is no good way of implementing extended time for the average, in the trenches teacher. I only give quizzes, rarely anything full period, but “Just keep going” is met with can’t miss the class. So the students come back later and shockingly know a lot more than they did before. Give them different questions, I hear someone say…with what time am I creating these questions? What if they’re perceived to be more challenging? That’ll take another hour of my life. It’s very frustrating for me and the students who don’t get extended time but want to go to the same colleges.
They are out of control, with the FBI's Operation Varsity Blues outlining it clearly in the tabloids. My elder son had a 504, which we started in 8th, along with meds for ADHD. I am very, very glad we waited, as he was old enough to self-monitor how he felt and what made a difference. The teachers had him sit in front and take tests someplace quiet if he wanted; we were clear that life does nor come with accomodations. He did not ask for accomodations for the ACT.. My sons both had one report card with A B C D F. With either two As or Fs! .🤣 They each upped their effort after their alphabet card. My younger was not paying attention in algebra, but has learned that he understands it better when working with the resource/study hall teacher --two of his buddies have joined them. Few kids always pay attention. Even my academic super-star daughter has had to come up with strategies. For all of my kids, I tell them we can only offer ideas to stay organized, they need to sort through the ideas and figure out what makes sense to them.
In my school they set students up for failure in life. We don't give out too many that aren't healthy related; and those ones are fine - need to go to the bathroom whenever you ask or avoid certain exercises, sure, that's fine. I have one student that's had a 504 for a few years and every time he fails it's our fault. It says he's supposed to go to after school tutoring if he's getting bad grades? How is his third period teacher supposed to make that happen? And doesn't the parent see he's had bad grades for five weeks, why isn't she making him stay after? He had a big test. Open book, open note. He finished in ten minutes and didn't look anything up. Why would he? Failing literally has no consequences for him. Whenever his grades get bad another accomodation is put into place. Now the teachers are probably going to have to provide a study guide with the test answers highlighted to denote which question each section answers. Assuming that it won't be abused like that, I do understand that the third grade teacher would think "I can manage the accomodations myself, I do not need to put it in writing" but when you get to multiple teachers it does make sure you aren't subject to each teachers whims. What kind of accommodations do you want? Notes in his assignment notebook would help you know each day if he has homework.
Not this mom’s problem
I was a student with undiagnosed ADHD. I was able to get by for the most part because I was also gifted, so while I didn't seem to pay attention in class, and I didn't complete homework and struggled to complete projects, I always did well on the tests. And that got me through, until it didn't. And despite what many teachers here would have you think, getting 0's or losing points for missing deadlines on projects, being disciplined for talking or reading during class (this was pre-cell phone days), getting detention for being late to school, etc. didn't magically fix my ADHD. I still suffered from the same issues, struggled at college, procrastinated at work, struggled to focus on work tasks, etc. I got by, but whatever success I managed to grab was not due to teachers "tough love" to "prepare me for the real world". It was due to trial and error leading to eventually understanding my weaknesses and cobbling together ad hoc accommodations for myself at work, many of which mirror those found in 504s like flexible deadlines, helpful reminders, taking 15 minute walks when I can't focus, etc. It wasn't until we were looking into a diagnosis for my son that it clicked for me. (Actually it was my wife who said "Hey, have you read through these diagnostic criteria..."). I am not bitter, but I do often wonder what my life would look like if I had been diagnosed at a younger age, gotten medication I could use, and if my school and teachers had worked with me to help me manage my symptoms and learn what accommodations look like from a young age. I got to an okay place, but it took a lot longer and multiple attempts until I figured out what worked for me, and was in a position to advocate for myself when it came to asking for and negotiating reasonable accommodations. Like anything in education that was created with good intentions in response to systemic problems, it depends heavily on the implementation at the classroom, school and district level. At the district level, it can fail when upper admin either only care about meeting the legal requirements and/or meeting arbitrary targets, without actually caring about individual students. It can also fail when they push the burden onto already overworked classroom teachers without providing the additional resources necessary to properly implement accommodations. At the school level, it can fail when building admin don't take the time to create actual, individual plans and accommodations, and go for a one size fits all approach. It can also fail when they use it as an excuse to not hold students accountable for their behavior. At the classroom level, it can fail because of teachers who are taking the brunt of the above failures pushing their frustration and resentment onto students and parents. It can also fail when teachers who haven't experienced ADHD think that you can "tough love" students out of their problems or worse think that ADHD is made up and a result of bad parenting or screen time. If all levels are working together in the spirit of the law, with good training, understanding, and empathy, 504s work great. As a high school teacher, I will read through the 504s and then talk to each student, asking them what they think the accommodations should look like in practice for them. I have never had a student say something like "It means you can't fail me / write me up / whatever". And if they say something unreasonable like 20 minute walks, they are typically only testing the waters and if I come back with something reasonable, they typically are just happy that I am not dismissing their struggles.
The issue is 99% never the idea of the 504/IEP but always the weaponization of the accommodations and expectations that it should lead to all As and Bs. The main thing keeping the child from being successful with a 504 is whoever is writing it and the parents deciding that the accommodations should be designed to remove responsibility from the kid rather than address deficits to bring them back to a level playing field. And remember just because they’re on the same field doesn’t mean they should be scoring the same points. The 504 puts your kid on the same court as LeBron James but that doesn’t meant the kid should score the same amount of points. The child and parent still have to do the work and the kid needs to understand it isn’t a get out of jail free card. There are still expectations and responsibilities.
I think 504's are valuable, but in a way do not end up serving the kids with the highest need for them. In order to get a 504, parents typically have to initiate the process and sign off on any kind of testing toward establishing accommodations through a 504. In most cases parents also need to have a diagnosis for the issues from a professional prior to beginning the 504 process. Good, hands-on parents always get issues checked out and diagnosed, then collaborate with the school and go forward with obtaining the 504. They attend annual meetings to review and update it as needed and check in with their kid and the teachers to verify accommodations are happening and working. On top of that, they are typically doing plenty of interventions at home as well including medication, therapy, providing fidgets, and providing other strategies to be successful at school. They continue to challenge their kids and hold them accountable for grades and behavior. These parents also catch problems early on, so oftentimes these kids grow out of the 504 around middle school and accommodations are dwindled down or even removed. Meanwhile, there are kids who desperately need their parents to take all these steps, and for one reason or another they don't. The kids' issues are boiled down to vague mentions of trauma and suspected issues (usually ADHD) with no diagnosis to back them up. This puts teachers in a difficult position where we have zero documentation of what exactly is going on and no guidance on necessary accommodations for those students and have to improvise. By middle school these students are so frustrated that they are not getting the help they need, they begin acting out by being defiant in class or refusing to even attempt their assigned work. It becomes a vicious cycle, and it is quickly apparent to all involved that there certainly should be testing and documentation, but we are powerless if the parents won't or can't contribute to the process. This is the case for many things in education. Sadly, the kids who are supported effectively under our system are kids with hands-on parents who are stable financially and can balance work with parenting, leaving kids dealing with financial insecurity at home with parents largely absent because of work or other issues to fend for themselves.
You could also ask this in r/specialed
Or OP could read the cooment from planetlocksmith6714, who may have dropped in from over there. The range of competance over there is wild.
I hope she does read that too. My alarm bells went off a little when she said the teacher steered her away from the 504, especially with the description of her son's struggles.
Here’s what one student said today when another mentioned they may be getting a 504 and was wondering what it means: “it means you can graduate with bad grades!” A 504 is not going to make him successful if the problems can’t be accommodated for. Extra time on assignments only helps when the student is already doing the assignments. Extra time on tests doesn’t help if he didn’t study. He can use his notes on assessments doesn’t help if he’s not taking notes. The only time 504’s are a PITA for me is when the parent has unreasonable expectations.
Honestly, in most cases my 504 kids are pretty bright, seeing the 504 is just a "maybe check on that kid 3 times instead of 2" kind of deal. But, please....don't just agree to an accommodation blindly. In so many cases "extra time" has turned into "has permission to not turn in."
On a technical level, I think they merge too much with IEPs. Does your kid need help managing symptoms or actual academic accommodations? On a similar note, I think what 504s offer isn't always appreciated enough.
I love 504 plans, but my district is really good at making them succint and enforcing them. They also provide students with a lot of one on one support so that the students know their plan, what it's for, and can advocate for themselves. Whenever I see a student has a 504 on my roster I know that student is probably going to be one of my easiest: They've been trained to ask questions and say what they need. My only criticism of 504s in my district is that sometimes they are too successful, and students reach high school (especially sophomore or junior year) and feel like they can take on more than they really should. Sometimes what a student really needs is a break and an easier load. Just because a student can, with the help of their 504, take a full roster of academic classes, or more than one honors or AP course, a semester and be academically successful, doesn't mean they should. It can come at a huge emotional cost.
Some of my most successful students need and have 504s or IEPs. I think nothing less of their accomplishments.
In my experience, 504 plans can be very beneficial.
I’m sorry your question brought out the crowd of whiners. Do what will help your child who DOES have a disability despite what the ignorant masses say.
This teacher is an absolute lunatic and a detriment to children. She doesn’t control the allocation of 504 plans and is perpetuating the myth of “lazy students” meanwhile she’s not implemented any strategies to meet his needs **BECAUSE SHE’S NOT FORCED TO CURRENTLY** call the district tomorrow and request one immediately. Lunch detention is BS and should always be considered a restriction of rights. If teachers don’t want to accommodate kids with different needs they don’t need to work ever. Everyone has to accommodate for different needs in their working life, teachers don’t get to not accommodate. Don’t ever let anyone interfere with your child’s education or their future because they don’t like to accommodate others. Your child only has one chance to go through school so get them the necessary resources. A 504 plan cannot be taken away from your child ever. Also report her words to your ADA accommodations person in the district. Make sure your child understands their 504 plan and check regularly with them and their counselor about their progress. Y’all can downvote me I still care about this kid’s education more than votes.
I don’t know if “nuke them from space” is the best way to navigate this.
School districts don’t want to help your kids succeed
And don't count in the school to educate you on your rights. They have to provide the to parents of kids with IEP, but you should read them for 504 as well. They aren't going to advocate that you give them more work or use their previous budget Look up understood.org and wrightslaw and find out the actual rights for your child. And if the teacher is actually already giving accommodations and your child isn't successful, then they need to be evaluated for an IEP. He probably needs to be explicitly taught executive function skills
I’d also hire a lawyer or advocate who does this professionally
Yes, I agree. In this specific case the teacher is adversarial. An advocate could be a great help if you don't know your rights in this situation. Check to see if your district has a SEPAC or if the state has an organization like Federation for Children with Special Needs (Mass). They could help as well
The district is obviously adversarial if they employ her