Instructional Support
Instructional Support Department
Instructional Support is a positive, success-oriented program that uses specific assessment and intervention techniques to help remove educational or behavioral stumbling blocks for all students in the regular classroom. The BCBE Instructional Support Department covers three areas: Section 504, Homebound Services, and On-Campus Suspensions. For questions or additional information, contact Dionne Dunton, M.Ed, Ed.S. at this link.
Department Links
Homebound Department
In accordance with the school board policy, Baldwin County Public Schools provides homebound services for those students who are not able to attend school for medical and/or mental health reasons that are acute, catastrophic, or chronic. If a student’s anticipated duration of absence from school exceeds 15 consecutive school days, the student will be eligible for services under the provisions of this policy.
These homebound procedures apply to all students who are not identified as eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). For those students who are identified as eligible under the IDEA, homebound services and instruction will be determined by the student’s IEP team, and if deemed applicable, administered through the Baldwin County Board of Education’s Special Services Department.
Eligibility for Homebound Services
Eligibility for homebound services requires that written documentation from a physician or psychiatrist must be presented to Baldwin County Public Schools prior to consideration for services. In addition, a student may become eligible for homebound services based upon a finding by the appropriate Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 Team.
Homebound services are for students currently enrolled in the Baldwin County Public School System who must be temporarily confined at home or in a health care facility. The purpose of homebound instruction is to help students keep up with their work although they are unable to attend school. However, homebound services are meant as a short-term intervention and do not in any way supplant attendance in a regular school for an extended period of time. The goal of homebound instruction is to sustain the continuity of instruction and to facilitate the student's return to school. Homebound instruction is not a guarantee that the student will always progress in the academic program. Baldwin County Public Schools will provide homebound instruction to students with and without disabilities. The following guidelines should be noted for determining a student’s eligibility for homebound services.
Files and more information on the Homebound Services
- Homebound Handbook
- Treating Physician’s Recommendation for Homebound/Hospital Services
- Treatment and School Re-entry Plan
- Parent Authorization for Homebound Services
- Hospital Verification of Instruction Form
- Section 504 Parent Rights
Homebound Handbook
In accordance with Baldwin County Public School System’s Board Policy 6.28, Homebound and Transitional Services shall be made available to students who qualify under the guidelines promulgated by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. To review a copy of the BCBE Homebound Handbook, click this link.
Treating Physician’s Recommendation for Homebound/Hospital Services
Download a copy of the Treating Physician’s Recommendation for Homebound/Hospital Services
Treatment and School Re-entry Plan
Download a copy of the Treatment and School Re-entry Plan
Parent Authorization for Homebound Services
Download a coy of the Parent Authorization for Homebound Services
Hospital Verification of Instruction Form
Download a copy of the Hospital Verification of Instruction Form
Section 504 Parent Rights
Notice of Parent Rights
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, commonly known in the schools as “Section 504,” is a federal law passed by the United States Congress with the purpose of prohibiting discrimination against disabled persons who may participate in, or receive benefits from, programs receiving federal financial assistance. In the public schools specifically, Section 504 (§504) applies to ensure that eligible disabled students are provided with educational benefits and opportunities equal to those provided to non-disabled students.
Under §504, a student is considered “disabled” if he or she suffers from a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Section 504 also protects students with a record of an impairment, or who are regarded as having an impairment from discrimination on the basis of disability. Students can be considered disabled, and can receive services under §504, including regular or special education and related aids and services, even if they do not qualify for or receive special education services under the IDEA. The purpose of this Notice is to inform parents and students of the rights granted them under §504. The federal regulations that implement §504 are found at Title 34, Part 104 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and entitle eligible student and their parents to the following rights:
*1. You have a right to be informed about your rights under §504. [34 CFR 104.32] The School District must provide you with written notice of your rights under §504 (this document represents written notice of rights as required under §504). If you need further explanation or clarification of any of the rights described in this Notice, contact appropriate staff persons at the District’s §504 Office and they will assist you in understanding your rights.
2. Under §504, your child has the right to an appropriate education designed to meet his or her educational needs as adequately as the needs of non-disabled students are met. [34 CFR 104.33]. You have the right to refuse consent for services at any time.
3. Your child has the right to free educational services, with the exception of certain costs normally also paid by the parents of nondisabled students. Insurance companies and other similar third parties are not relieved of any existing obligation to provide or pay for services to a student that becomes eligible for services under §504. [34 CFR 104.33].
4. To the maximum extent appropriate, your child has the right to be educated with children who are not disabled. Your child will be placed and educated in regular classes, unless the District demonstrates that his or her educational needs cannot be adequately met in the regular classroom, even with the use of supplementary aids and services. [34 CFR 104.34].
5. Your child has the right to services, facilities, and activities comparable to those provided to non-disabled students. [34 CFR 104.34].
6. The School District must undertake an evaluation of your child prior to determining his or her appropriate educational placement or program of services under §504, and also before every subsequent significant change in placement. [34 CFR 104.35]. You have the right to refuse consent for initial evaluation.
7. If formal assessment instruments are used as part of an evaluation, procedures used to administer assessments and other instruments must comply with the requirements of §504 regarding test validity, proper method of administration, and appropriate test selection. [34 CFR104.35]. The District will appropriately consider information from a variety of sources in making its determinations, including, for example: aptitude and achievement tests, teacher recommendations, reports of physical condition, social and cultural background, adaptive behavior, health records, report cards, progress notes, parent observations, statewide assessment scores, and mitigating measures, among others. [34 CFR 104.35].
8. Placement decisions regarding your child must be made by a group of persons (a §504 committee) knowledgeable about your child, the meaning of the evaluation data, possible placement options, and the requirement that to the maximum extent appropriate, disabled children should be educated with non-disabled children. [34 CFR 104.35].
9. If your child is eligible under §504, he or she has a right to periodic reevaluations. A reevaluation must take place at least every three years. [34 CFR 104.35].
10. You have the right to be notified by the District prior to any action regarding the identification, evaluation, or placement of your child. [34 CFR 104.36].
11. You have the right to examine relevant documents and records regarding your child (generally documents relating to identification, evaluation, and placement of your child under §504). [34 CFR 104.36].
12. You have the right to an impartial due process hearing if you wish to contest any action of the District with regard to your child’s identification, evaluation, or placement under §504. [34 CFR 104.36]. You have the right to participate personally at the hearing, and to be represented by an attorney, if you wish to hire one.
13. If you wish to contest an action taken by the §504 Committee by means of an impartial due process hearing, you must submit a Notice of Appeal or a Request for Hearing to the District's §504 Coordinator at the address below.* A date will be set for the hearing and an impartial hearing officer will be appointed. You will then be notified in writing of the hearing date, time, and place. Dionne Dunton 19812 Underwood Rd, Foley, Alabama, 36551 251-970-7322 ddunton@bcbe.org
*14. If you disagree with the decision of the hearing officer, you have a right to seek a review of the decision by making a written request to the District’s Section 504 Coordinator, and/or you may seek relief in state or federal court as allowed by law.
15. You also have a right to present a grievance or complaint through the District’s local grievance process. The District will investigate the situation, take into account the nature of the complaint and all necessary factors, and respond appropriately to you within a reasonable time. Parents may contact the District’s Section 504 Coordinator for more information about the District’s grievance process.
16. You also have a right to file a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the Department of Education.
The address of the OCR Regional Office that covers this school district is:*
- Office for Civil Rights, Atlanta Office U.S. Department of Education
- 61 Forsyth Street S.W., Suite 19T10 Atlanta, GA 30303-8927
- Telephone: (404) 974-9406
- Facsimile: (404) 974-9471
- Email: OCR.Atlanta@ed.gov Notice
In-School Suspension
The policy of the Baldwin County Board of Education is to establish an in-school suspension program designed to provide a structured disciplinary atmosphere in which a student is isolated or removed from regular classroom activities but is not dismissed from the school setting.
The ISS program is a disciplinary action and is intended to provide an alternative to off-campus suspension and to attempt to modify disruptive behavior by isolating the disruptive student from his/her classmates.
ISS Handbook
2025-2026 ISS Handbook
Download the BCBE 2025-2026 OCS Handbook
Section 504
Section 504 is part of a federal civil rights law known as the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This law specifically prohibits discrimination against students with disabilities and guarantees them a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). Discrimination, as defined in Section 504, is the failure to provide students with disabilities the same opportunity to benefit from education programs, services, or activities as provided to their non-disabled peers. Therefore, schools cannot exclude students with disabilities from facilities, programs, benefits, activities, or services that are provided to students without disabilities. Schools must make sure that all students receive equal access to educational opportunities.
Files & Documents
- Section 504 Handbook
- Parent and Educator Resource Guide to Section 504 in Public Elementary/Secondary Schools
- Authorization for Release of Information
- Child Find Notice
- Section 504 Parent Rights
- Information for Parents & Students
Section 504 Handbook
Download a copy of the Section 504 Handbook
Parent and Educator Resource Guide to Section 504 in Public Elementary/Secondary Schools
Download a copy of the Parent and Educator Resource Guide to Section 504 in Public Elementary/Secondary Schools
Authorization for Release of Information
Download a copy of the Authorization for Release of Information
Child Find Notice
Section 504 Parent Rights
Notice of Parent Rights
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, commonly known in the schools as “Section 504,” is a federal law passed by the United States Congress with the purpose of prohibiting discrimination against disabled persons who may participate in, or receive benefits from, programs receiving federal financial assistance. In the public schools specifically, Section 504 (§504) applies to ensure that eligible disabled students are provided with educational benefits and opportunities equal to those provided to non-disabled students.
Under §504, a student is considered “disabled” if he or she suffers from a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Section 504 also protects students with a record of an impairment, or who are regarded as having an impairment from discrimination on the basis of disability. Students can be considered disabled, and can receive services under §504, including regular or special education and related aids and services, even if they do not qualify for or receive special education services under the IDEA. The purpose of this Notice is to inform parents and students of the rights granted them under §504. The federal regulations that implement §504 are found at Title 34, Part 104 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and entitle eligible student and their parents to the following rights:
*1. You have a right to be informed about your rights under §504. [34 CFR 104.32] The School District must provide you with written notice of your rights under §504 (this document represents written notice of rights as required under §504). If you need further explanation or clarification of any of the rights described in this Notice, contact appropriate staff persons at the District’s §504 Office and they will assist you in understanding your rights.
2. Under §504, your child has the right to an appropriate education designed to meet his or her educational needs as adequately as the needs of non-disabled students are met. [34 CFR 104.33]. You have the right to refuse consent for services at any time.
3. Your child has the right to free educational services, with the exception of certain costs normally also paid by the parents of nondisabled students. Insurance companies and other similar third parties are not relieved of any existing obligation to provide or pay for services to a student that becomes eligible for services under §504. [34 CFR 104.33].
4. To the maximum extent appropriate, your child has the right to be educated with children who are not disabled. Your child will be placed and educated in regular classes, unless the District demonstrates that his or her educational needs cannot be adequately met in the regular classroom, even with the use of supplementary aids and services. [34 CFR 104.34].
5. Your child has the right to services, facilities, and activities comparable to those provided to non-disabled students. [34 CFR 104.34].
6. The School District must undertake an evaluation of your child prior to determining his or her appropriate educational placement or program of services under §504, and also before every subsequent significant change in placement. [34 CFR 104.35]. You have the right to refuse consent for initial evaluation.
7. If formal assessment instruments are used as part of an evaluation, procedures used to administer assessments and other instruments must comply with the requirements of §504 regarding test validity, proper method of administration, and appropriate test selection. [34 CFR104.35]. The District will appropriately consider information from a variety of sources in making its determinations, including, for example: aptitude and achievement tests, teacher recommendations, reports of physical condition, social and cultural background, adaptive behavior, health records, report cards, progress notes, parent observations, statewide assessment scores, and mitigating measures, among others. [34 CFR 104.35].
8. Placement decisions regarding your child must be made by a group of persons (a §504 committee) knowledgeable about your child, the meaning of the evaluation data, possible placement options, and the requirement that to the maximum extent appropriate, disabled children should be educated with non-disabled children. [34 CFR 104.35].
9. If your child is eligible under §504, he or she has a right to periodic reevaluations. A reevaluation must take place at least every three years. [34 CFR 104.35].
10. You have the right to be notified by the District prior to any action regarding the identification, evaluation, or placement of your child. [34 CFR 104.36].
11. You have the right to examine relevant documents and records regarding your child (generally documents relating to identification, evaluation, and placement of your child under §504). [34 CFR 104.36].
12. You have the right to an impartial due process hearing if you wish to contest any action of the District with regard to your child’s identification, evaluation, or placement under §504. [34 CFR 104.36]. You have the right to participate personally at the hearing, and to be represented by an attorney, if you wish to hire one.
13. If you wish to contest an action taken by the §504 Committee by means of an impartial due process hearing, you must submit a Notice of Appeal or a Request for Hearing to the District's §504 Coordinator at the address below.* A date will be set for the hearing and an impartial hearing officer will be appointed. You will then be notified in writing of the hearing date, time, and place. Dionne Dunton 19812 Underwood Rd, Foley, Alabama, 36551 251-970-7322 ddunton@bcbe.org
*14. If you disagree with the decision of the hearing officer, you have a right to seek a review of the decision by making a written request to the District’s Section 504 Coordinator, and/or you may seek relief in state or federal court as allowed by law.
15. You also have a right to present a grievance or complaint through the District’s local grievance process. The District will investigate the situation, take into account the nature of the complaint and all necessary factors, and respond appropriately to you within a reasonable time. Parents may contact the District’s Section 504 Coordinator for more information about the District’s grievance process.
16. You also have a right to file a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the Department of Education.
The address of the OCR Regional Office that covers this school district is:*
- Office for Civil Rights, Atlanta Office U.S. Department of Education
- 61 Forsyth Street S.W., Suite 19T10 Atlanta, GA 30303-8927
- Telephone: (404) 974-9406
- Facsimile: (404) 974-9471
- Email: OCR.Atlanta@ed.gov Notice
Information for Parents & Students
Download a copy of the Section 504, eligibility, substantial limitation, impairment, evaluations, one-page flyer available in English and Spanish at this link.
FAQ's
- A school-aged student is a disabled student under Section 504 for purposes of FAPE if the student:
- Who Can Refer a Student for a Section 504 Evaluation?
- What Should a District Do When it Receives a Section 504 Referral?
- What is an Evaluation Under Section 504?
- What are the procedures for filing a complaint?
- What Due Process Rights Do Parents and Guardians Have Under Section 504?
- Must Parents or Guardians Consent Prior to Initial Evaluations and Initial Placements Under Section 504?
- What is a Section 504 Team?
- What is a Section 504 Plan?
- How is Section 504 Enforced?
- Who Should Be on a Section 504 Team?
- Is the district responsible for providing services to students?
A school-aged student is a disabled student under Section 504 for purposes of FAPE if the student:
1. Has a physical or mental impairment The determination of whether a student has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity must be made on the basis on an individual inquiry. A physical or mental impairment may be any physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurological; musculoskeletal; special sense organs; respiratory, including speech organs; cardiovascular; reproductive; digestive; genito-urinary; hemic and lymphatic; skin; and endocrine; or any mental or psychological disorder, such as mental retardation, organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental illness, and specific learning disabilities.
2. That substantially limits A physical or mental impairment substantially limits a major life activity for a student if the impairment substantially limits the student’s ability to perform a major life activity as compared to the student’s non-disabled age/grade peers. An impairment, however, need not prevent, or significantly or severely restrict, a student in performing a major life activity to be considered substantially limiting.
3. One of more major life activities Major life activities include functions such as caring for one’s self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working. Major life activities also include other general activities such as eating, sleeping, standing, lifting, bending, reading, concentrating, thinking, and communicating. In addition, major life activities include major bodily functions such as the functions of the immune system, normal cell growth, digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive functions.
Who Can Refer a Student for a Section 504 Evaluation?
Any person can refer a student for evaluation under Section 504. Parents, guardians, and school staff should refer a student for evaluation if they know or suspect that, due to a disability, the student needs special education or related aids or services to participate in or benefit from a district’s education program.
What Should a District Do When it Receives a Section 504 Referral?
What is an Evaluation Under Section 504?
What are the procedures for filing a complaint?
What Due Process Rights Do Parents and Guardians Have Under Section 504?
Section 504 gives parents and guardians the right to challenge district decisions regarding the identification, evaluation, and educational placement of their child. Under Section 504, a district must notify a student’s parent or guardian before it takes any action regarding the identification, evaluation, or placement of their child and provide the parent or guardian an opportunity to challenge the action if they disagree. “Any action” includes a decision not to evaluate a student and denial of placement. The minimum necessary due process rights include: prior notice of any action; a right to inspect records; an impartial hearing with a right to representation by counsel; and a review procedure.
Must Parents or Guardians Consent Prior to Initial Evaluations and Initial Placements Under Section 504?
Yes. Under Section 504, a district must obtain parent or guardian consent in two circumstances: before a child’s initial evaluation (the first time a child is evaluated by any district) and before a child’s initial placement (the first time a child is placed on a Section 504 Plan in any district). If a parent or guardian refuses consent to either initial evaluation or initial placement, a district may, but is not required to, initiate a Section 504 due process hearing to override the refusal to consent. A district must notify a parent or guardian, but need not obtain consent, before it re-evaluates or significantly changes a student’s placement.
What is a Section 504 Team?
A Section 504 team makes decisions regarding the evaluation and placement of students under Section 504. For example, a Section 504 team determines the scope of Section 504 evaluations, decides which students are disabled under Section 504, develops Section 504 plans, and makes “manifestation determinations” for purposes of disciplinary exclusion from school.
What is a Section 504 Plan?
A Section 504 plan is a written plan that describes the educational and related aids and services that a district determines a disabled student needs to receive a free appropriate public education. The content of a Section 504 plan is fluid and may change within a school year or between school years as a student’s needs and services change.
How is Section 504 Enforced?
The US Department of Education enforces Section 504 through the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). OCR investigates individual complaints of disability discrimination, including complaints that a district is denying a disabled student a free appropriate public education. OCR’s focus is on the process a district follows to identify, evaluate, and provide an educational placement to a disabled student, and to provide procedural due process to the student’s parent or guardian. Except in extraordinary circumstances, OCR will not review the result of individual placement and other educational decisions, as long as a district complies with Section 504’s procedural requirements regarding identification, evaluation, placement, and due process. The proper forum for pure educational disputes, in which a district has followed the correct process to make an educational decision, but the parents or guardian disagree with the result of the decision, is a Section 504 due process hearing.
Who Should Be on a Section 504 Team?
The membership of a Section 504 team will vary depending upon the needs of each student. The composition of a Section 504 team is fluid and may change within a school year or between school years as a student’s needs and services change. A Section 504 team must include persons who are knowledgeable about the student, the meaning of the student’s current evaluation data, and placement options.
Is the district responsible for providing services to students?
Once a district has determined that a student is a disabled student under Section 504 for purposes of free appropriate public education, the district must provide whatever services it decides the student needs to participate in and benefit from the district’s education program.
A district is under no obligation to provide a service that a student’s parent or guardian, or doctor requests unless, in the district’s determination, the student needs the service to participate in and benefit from its education program.
Service Animals
Persons with disabilities have the same right as those without disabilities to the use and enjoyment of facilities in the Baldwin County Public School System. As required by federal and state law, an individual with a disability is permitted to be accompanied by his/her service animal on school property, subject to the conditions of the service animals policy as adopted by the Baldwin County Board of Education on October 20, 2016. Furthermore, individuals with disabilities are permitted to be accompanied by their service animals in all areas of a public entity’s facilities where members of the public, participants in services, programs, or activities, or invitees, as relevant, are allowed to go.
Service Animals Documents & Information
- ADA Regulations
- Definition of a Service Animal
- Tasks a Service Animal can perform
- Service Animal Procedures
- Request for use of a Service Animal form
- Service Animal Registration Agreement Form
- Frequently Asked Questions About Service Animals and the ADA
- ADA Revised Requirements: Service Animals
ADA Regulations
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 2010 Regulations
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 2010 Regulations define a service animal as “any dog that is individually trained to do work to perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.” C.F.R. § 35.104 and § 36.014 (2010).
In addition to the provisions about service dogs, the ADA also has a separate provision about miniature horses that have been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Miniature horses generally range in height from 24 inches to 34 inches, and they generally weigh between 70 and 100 pounds.
Definition of a Service Animal
It is important to note that animals whose sole function is to provide emotional support, comfort, therapy, companionship, or therapeutic benefits, to promote emotional well-being, or to act as a deterrent to crime are not service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In the event that a student within the Baldwin County Public School System needs to utilize a service animal, two forms will need to be completed: Request for use of a service animal and Service Animal Registration/ Agreement.
Tasks a Service Animal can perform
Tasks a service animal can perform:
Under the ADA, an individual with a disability is a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such an individual. According to the § 35.014 and § 36.014 (2010), examples of work and tasks performed by service animals include, but are not limited to the following:
- Guiding people who are blind or have low vision
- Alerting people who are deaf or hard of hearing
- Providing non-violent protection or rescue work
- Pulling a wheelchair
- Assisting an individual during a seizure
- Alerting individuals to the presence of allergens
- Retrieving items
- Providing physical support and assistance with balance and stability to individuals with mobility disabilities
- Helping persons with psychiatric or neurological disabilities by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors
- Reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, or
- Calming a person with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack.
Service Animal Procedures
Download a copy of the Service Animal Procedures
Request for use of a Service Animal form
Download a copy of the Request for use of a Service Animal form
Service Animal Registration Agreement Form
Download a copy of the Service Animal Registration Agreement form
Frequently Asked Questions About Service Animals and the ADA
Review Frequently Asked Questions About Service Animals and the ADA
ADA Revised Requirements: Service Animals
Review a copy of the ADA Revised Requirements: Service Animals