DOES MY CHILD NEED AN IEP OR A 504 PLAN?

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was created by the U.S. Department of Education to provide eligible students with special education ... so long as the student has a disability under one of the qualifying conditions. Each student who receives special education is required to have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). An IEP is written for one specific student, so the document is individualized. Some students have disabilities that do not fall under any of the qualifying conditions. In that case, a 504 Plan is available to provide accommodations. Both the IEP and the 504 are legal documents, and the specified accommodations MUST be followed by a public school and its teachers.