Lisa: My son is a freshman in High School and has a 504 plan in place for anxiety.
He is having a hard time in school adjusting to high school and keeping his grades up despite the accommodations we have in place, most of which are not being met.
He is on the freshman basketball team and is not allowed to play right now because his GPA in below 2.0.
Is there anything in the law that prevents a child with a 504 plan from being penalized in this way?
My daughter has a mood disorder, anxiety and depression. She is on the high school dance team and her coaches have confronted her about her anxiety and demanded to know what is going on with her mental health. When she didn’t feel comfortable telling them, they threatened to remove her from the competition dance team because they are afraid she will fall apart before the competition. Can we write in her 504 Plan to accommodate athletics? What kinds of ramifications do these coaches have for demanding my daughter to divulge her mental health? Can you also attach a document spelling out what is covered in a 504 Plan for Athletics
Julie, I suggest you contact your state parent training, and information project or state disability rights program for help. http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center
My child has a 504 for depression. When his was failing a course we were advised to go to the Assistant Principal and have a form filled out that allowed him to still participate in band concerts and trips. My advice is to approach the administration in a positive firm sincere manner because obviously (sic) they would not think to punish a child with a disability in this way, especially when this punishment for the disability is likely to exasperate the disability. Likely things have progressed beyond this advice helping. Tone needs to be set that with mental health challenges of teens and preteens, and a documented case, any failure by the administration to fix this is reprehensible. immediately request a meet with principal as reality is APs will support the teachers and cannot make teac
You said that your son is on the basketball team but is not allowed to play because his GPA is below 2.0. You asked “Is there anything in the law that prevents a child with a 504 plan from being penalized in this way?”
The law does not discuss ways to punish kids with emotional or mental health problems. The 2.0 rule may be a school district policy or state law. I don’t know if the policy contains any exceptions. Try searching with Google. You can probably find the answer.
Write a letter to the superintendent to request a copy of the policy that does not allow kids with mental health issues to participate in extra-curricular activities like basketball.
You need more info about this policy and possible exclusions before you can develop a plan.
Lisa, Chuck’s advice is good. Please contact your Parent Training and Information Center. They are an excellent resource and can probably answer your questions.
I suggest contacting your state parent training & information center. They will be familiar with such situations in your state, & be able to assist you. http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center