How to Manage the Initial 504 Plan Process

When a teacher submits a 504 service request, the coordinator takes over to manage the full initial plan process. This guide covers every step from reviewing the referral and sending consent forms, to conducting the initial meeting, building accommodations, and activating the student's 504 plan once all sign-offs are received.

Who This Is For

504 coordinators at the campus or district level who are responsible for managing the intake and initial planning process for students referred for 504 services.

Before You Begin

• You must be logged in as a coordinator.
• A service request for the student must already have been submitted by a teacher or staff member.
• Have parent contact information available — you will need to send consent forms and documents directly to the parent.

Steps

1. Log in and access 504 Plan — Navigate to the 504 Plan section from the home page.
2. Access Meeting Manager and Referral Manager — Select Meeting Manager, then click Referral Manager. Locate the student with status New Initial 504 Meeting.
3. View referral request documents — Open the Action Item menu and select View Referral Request Student Documents.
4. Open the initial meeting draft — Select Open Initial Meeting Draft and fill in known student information across each tab.
5. Save the initial draft — Click Save Initial Draft.
6. Send consent for evaluation — Use the plus (+) button to select the parent and areas of evaluation, then click Send Form.
7. Send 504 documents to parents — Send the Guide to the 504 Process and Procedural Safeguards.
8. Send teacher and parent input forms — Send input forms to the relevant teachers and to the parent.
9. Track responses — Click View Referral Request to monitor the status of all sent forms.
10. Schedule the meeting — Enter meeting details, add participants, assign roles, and click Send Meeting Invite.
11. Confirm parent consent — Verify parent consent has been received before starting the meeting.
12. Start the 504 initial meeting — Select Start 504 Initial Meeting and click OK.
13. Complete all meeting tabs — Work through all required sections and save after each tab.
14. Determine disability status and build accommodations — Select applicable disabilities, determine eligibility, and create classroom and state testing accommodations.
15. Complete the meeting and share for sign-off — Click Complete Meeting and share the plan with the 504 committee for sign-off.
16. Send the 504 plan to staff — Select teachers and staff to receive the plan.
17. Finalize student status — Once all required signatures are received, the student's status automatically changes to Active.

Tip: Check for outstanding form responses regularly. Delays in parent or teacher responses are the most common cause of a stalled initial 504 process.

Troubleshooting

• Student not appearing in Referral Manager — Confirm the service request was submitted correctly and status shows New Initial 504 Meeting.
• Consent form not sending — Verify the parent's email address is current in the student's record.
• Complete Meeting button not active — Ensure all required meeting tabs are filled out and saved.