When a student enrolled in the Section 504 program receives disciplinary action, the 504 team can meet to determine if the student's actions were a result of their disability. This is called a manifestation determination review (MDR).
Steps
Steps to conduct a manifestation determination review:- Send a Notice of 504 Team Meeting to the parents. The purpose will be Manifestation determination.
- Create a Manifestation Determination document.
- Provide relevant background information.
- Review all relevant information in the student's file, including their 504 plan.
- See below for steps on how to document that you reviewed the student's 504 plan.
- Make a determination of whether the student's behavior is or is not a manifestation of their disability.
- If the behavior is not a manifestation, the school may take disciplinary action in the same manner they would for a child without disabilities.
- If the behavior is a manifestation, the 504 team must take additional steps to address the issue.
- Determine if the student needs a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP).
- Review and modify the student's BIP if one already exists.
- Remedy any deficiencies if the behavior was a result of the LEA failing to implement the 504 plan.
Steps
Steps to document a review of a 504 plan for an MDR:- Navigate to the student's Section 504 Plan.
- Amend the document.
- Add an Amendment/Revision section at the bottom of the cover page.
- Under meeting, select "Yes" and provide the relevant dates.
- Click add Change.
- For Section Amended/Revised, enter "Complete plan".
- For Description of Changes, document the purpose of the amendment.
- An example could be "Reviewed plan in accordance with MDR".
- If you want to add signatures, you can add an additional signature section in Section 5.
- Mark the document complete again.
lightbulb Tip
This is a suggested workflow for documenting a review of a 504 plan that several districts follow, however it is not required to document the review in this manner.