Fiscal Year 2025 → Question 8

Ms. Rivera-Oven would like staff to provide more information around the scenario’s [about 504s] mentioned in Mr. Moreno’s testimony.

Question#: 8

ANSWER:

Prior to the 2021-2022 school year, Section 504 was overseen by the Resolution and Compliance Unit (RACU) Supervisor and supported by a 1.0 instructional specialist. During the 2022-2023 school year, the Office of School Support and Well-Being (OSSWB) added a 1.0 instructional specialist to assist the instructional specialist in RACU with Section 504. With ESSER funding, for the 2023-2024 school year, a 1.0 coordinator and 2.0 instructional specialists were added to provide dedicated support schools and families with Section 504.

A comparative analysis was completed from August 2022 through December 2022 and August 2023 through December 2023 to determine the level of support the new team was able to provide. In August – December 2023, the team was able to:

  • Hold 243 Section 504 check-in meetings with schools.
  • Hold 112 individual support sessions with counselors serving as Section 504 case managers.
  • Attend 166 Section 504 meetings to support schools and families through the Section 504 process.
  • Provide 27 school-wide trainings on Section 504.
  • Provide 12 county-wide trainings on Section 504 to Administrators, School-Based Section 504 Coordinators, PPWs, PCCs, and School Psychologists.
  • Provide weekly drop-in sessions for school or central office staff members to join to discuss any concerns or questions related to Section 504.
  • Attend 15 school events such as Parent Coffee’s and Back-to-School Night to speak to parents about Section 504.
  • Provide individualized training and support to three schools to train other staff members as Section 504 case managers in the Section 504 Pilot Program.

Between August and December 2022, the two instructional specialists were able to:

  • Attend 104 Section 504 meetings to support schools and families through the Section 504 process.
  • Provide 6 county-wide trainings on Section 504 to PPWs, PCCs, and School Psychologists.
  • Provide 24 individual support sessions with counselors serving as Section 504 case managers.

As a result of the growing support, the team has noticed an improvement in Section 504 compliance and parent complaints. In the previous year, from August to December 2022, there were 17 complaints regarding Section 504 implementation. This year, during the same time, there were only 10.

Moreno Testimony:

“The student’s social emotional needs have increased as well as 504 eligibility cases in many schools. Due to that high demand, having critical central office support for specific cases is essential to address and support all the students’ needs. All counselors with the school base support we already have, in my case with our wonderful acting principal Pam Parker, could handle many 504 Eligibility and Annual Review cases. However, several cases need more deep guidance and that is where the support of the 504 Team comes in. Recently, I had the opportunity to see in person how Shannon Farmer (504 Coordinator) and Rebecca Willis (504 Instructional Specialist) supported our school with their expertise in legal matters. We had a difficult 504 Pre Kinder case. I do not have enough time to share the details, but their understanding of the process helped this international family and her young student to keep receiving a high quality education from MCPSs, thanks in part to the accommodations and guidance established by the 504.”

Student Well-Being and Achievement Response:

A representative from our team must attend all cases that warrant:

  • Critical staffing
  • Private duty nursing
  • Complex medical cases requiring partial day schedule
  • Contentious cases with educational advocates and lawyers.

Due to the current staffing of 504 support, we can have frequent scheduled check-ins with schools regarding their Section 504 needs, the instructional specialist was able to provide support to a case of a prekindergarten student who was newly diagnosed with a severe medical condition. The instructional specialist was able to share with the school team the services and support we can provide for this student to access their educational experience with their given medical needs. The instructional specialist was able to loop in the 504 coordinator to schedule a 504 review meeting with the parents, school nurse, and school team to discuss the level of support the student requires and update the 504 plan. The coordinator was able to quickly request critical staffing and provide that support to the school team in order to meet the needs of the student.

Without being proactive, the school team may not have known that this level of support could be provided to the student or the support would have been greatly delayed.