Lake Norman Charter School acknowledges its responsibility under Section 504 not to discriminate in policies and practices regarding its personnel and students. No discrimination against any person with a disability shall be permitted in any program or practices in the school. Under Section 504, LNC has the responsibility to identify, evaluate, and if the student is determined to be eligible under Section 504, to provide free appropriate public educational services.

The Section 504 Committee shall consider all relevant information about the student gathered from a variety of sources to determine whether he/she is disabled under Section 504. Information may include, but is not limited to, reports or letters from physicians, observations from parents, teachers, school personnel, results of standardized tests, etc. The Section 504 Committee shall determine whether the student is disabled under Section 504, and, if so, decide if accommodations are needed.  If so, the committee will develop a written educational plan describing the accommodations, services or programs that are appropriate to meet the student's individual educational needs.

The student's parent or legal guardian shall be notified in writing of the Section 504 Committee's decisions.

To determine 504 eligibility, a school team must assess whether a student has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as learning or thinking. The Section 504 Committee shall be composed of persons knowledgeable about the student’s school history, the student's individual needs, the meaning of evaluation data, and the accommodation options.  Although not required, parents are invited to be part of the 504 committee.  Eligibility is always determined on a case-by-case basis and involves a comprehensive review of information from a variety of sources, including medical records, teacher reports, and student work samples.  Please note that not all students with a medical diagnosis qualify for a 504 plan. The key factor is whether the condition substantially limits a major life activity in the educational setting.  Sometimes, based on evaluation of student data, a student is referred to the MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Support) Team in order to be provided with more targeted support in their area(s) of need, whether that be reading, math, behavior, or social and emotional learning. 

More detailed information regarding Section 504 can be found in the Lake Norman Charter Student Handbook.

If you have any questions about this process or would like to discuss the possibility of an evaluation for your child, please reach out to the Lake Norman Charter District 504 Coordinator, Julie Slaby at jslaby@lncharter.org or 704-948-8600 extension 1208.