By Jennifer V. Herseim

A single disagreement between parents and school staff during the Section 504 process can lead to years of mistrust. Head off contentious situations — and potential escalation into legal disputes — by building positive relationships with parents. This is your guide to fine-tuning essential soft skills with best practices in 3 areas: communicating with parents about Section 504, facilitating Section 504 meetings and addressing conflict.

You get explanations of Section 504’s mandates, model forms and tools, and apply-today strategies to:

• Create school and districtwide opportunities for parents to learn about Section 504
• Respond to a doctor’s note “prescribing” Section 504 eligibility and services
• Demonstrate that accommodations decisions are supported by evaluative data
• Remedy internal grievances with staff training and procedure revisions
• Advise students about seeking accommodations for college-entrance exams
• And more!

You also get guidance to handle common disagreements with parents over medical documentation, homebound services, testing accommodations and more — so you’re prepared for whatever situations arise.