Section 504/RTI/Dyslexia Program

SECTION 504

Section 504 is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities.  Section 504 ensures that the child with a disability has equal access to an education.

504 is not Special Education.  There are fewer procedural safeguards under Section 504 as compared to Special Education.

A child may have a disability; however, may not qualify for either 504 or Special Education because the condition does not significantly impact their educational process.  For example, a child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) who is being successful in school would not be considered 504 since no major life activity (eg., learning) is being impacted.

DYSLEXIA

The Louisiana Dyslexia law defines dyslexia as a language processing disorder which may be manifested by difficulty processing expressive or receptive, oral or written language despite adequate intelligence, educational exposure, and cultural opportunity.  Specific manifestations may occur in some or more areas including difficulty with the alphabet, reading, comprehension, writing, and spelling.

In Lafayette Parish all second grade students are screened for Dyslexia.

Characteristics of Dyslexia include:

• Problems in reading including: slow reading rate, omissions/substitution of small words, decoding inaccuracies
• Oral or written language problems
• Errors in spontaneous spelling
• Lack of or limited phonological awareness
• Poor organization: mechanics in spontaneous written language

If you suspect your child may have Dyslexia or another disability condition that would require a 504 evaluation for eligibility, contact the School Building Level Committee (SBLC) at your child's school.