A Virtual Conversation Series for Parents and Families on Supporting Children’s Learning during COVID-19

The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) is hosting a series of virtual conversations for parents and other caregivers who are managing children’s learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. This series is a follow-up to a statewide town hall on December 8th where over 400 attendees asked questions and offered comments and suggestions that were used to inform the sessions below.

This conversation series is tailored to families, but educators and community members are welcome to attend. You may register for any or all of the sessions.

After registering for each session, you will receive a confirmation e-mail containing information about joining the webinar. Sessions will be recorded and made available on the CSDE web site for those who are not able to attend in person. If you cannot attend but want to be notified when the recording is available, you can indicate that on the registration form.

Sessions will be recorded and posted online with closed captioning in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic. Everyone registered for any session in the series will receive notice when sessions are posted.

Registration is open - Sign up for every session you're interested in below!

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Program One: The Basics

January 26
9am-12pm
$85

This program, intended for but not limited to novice 504 coordinators, focuses on the basic building blocks of an effective school program in relation to Section 504 and its sister statute, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It will cover the following topics:

• What are the key differences between Section 504, the ADA, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?
• What is the required grievance procedure?
• What are the latest eligibility standards?
• What are the reasons for avoiding under- or over-identification?
• What are the required elements of the procedural safeguards notice?
• What are the practical recommendations for 504 plans?
• What are the alternative avenues for enforcement?
• What are the key issues for 504-only students under COVID-19?

This session will also include illustrative forms, recommended procedures, and ample opportunity for Q-and-A. 

Register for Program 1:https://504program1.eventbrite.com

Program Two: The Nuances

January 27
9am-12pm
$85

This program, intended for but not limited to experienced 504 coordinators, focuses on addressing the latest, more nuanced legal issues under Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): (1) specific to students who are not also covered by the IDEA (i.e., "504-only") and (2) extending to students also covered by the IDEA (i.e., "double-covered").

In the "504-only" context, this program covers:

• Does Child Find apply under Section 504?
• What revisions do the Department of Justice’s September 2016 regulations make to the Section 504 eligibility standard?
• What is the current operational meaning of "substantial" limitation, including, for example, its application to students with concussions?
• Are some students only technically eligible under Section 504?
• Are students entitled to special education as part of a 504 plan?
• How can a 504 coordinator say "No" in a way that is both legally and educationally effective to the parents of the student who is not eligible?
• Post-pandemic, are students on 504 plans entitled to compensatory education services upon resumption of full in-person learning?

In the "double-covered" context:

• What are the current differences between the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the courts in applying Section 504/ADA?
• Does compliance with IDEA requirements automatically fulfill the corresponding requirements under Section 504/ADA?
• Are parents required to "exhaust" the step of a due process hearing under (a) the IDEA or (b) Section 504 before filing suit in court?
• What has been the trend in judicial rulings for claims specific to (a) service animals, (b) bullying, (c) CART, and (d) retaliation?
• Are individual school employees, such as teachers and Section 504 coordinators, subject to liability under Section 504/ADA?
• What is the prevailing standard for district liability under Section 504/ADA?
• Are students under IEPs entitled to rights under Section 504 beyond those provided under the IDEA?

Register for Program 2:https://504program2.eventbrite.com

For content questions, please contact Stephen Proffitt, SERC, (860) 632-1485 ext. 322 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For registration questions, please contact Linda Adorno, SERC, (860) 632-1485, ext. 241 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Dr. Miguel Cardona has been a friend of SERC for many years. Over the last 16 months, in his capacity as state education commissioner, Dr. Cardona has been an invaluable partner, most recently in the development of the first statewide African American/Black and Puerto Rican/Latino course of studies. To see him thrust onto the national stage is testament to his warmth, passion, and genuine excitement about his work, ensuring an education that serves ALL children.

After President-elect Joe Biden announced Dr. Cardona’s nomination for U.S. Secretary of Education, it was no surprise to hear Dr. Cardona say, “It’s our responsibility, it’s our privilege to take this moment and to do the most American thing imaginable: to forge opportunity out of crisis.” This is the leader we know: the commissioner who just last week, speaking in Spanish to Latino parents in our webinar, said that he was one of them and therefore all of them. From a student who began school in Meriden without speaking English, to Meriden teacher, principal and State Principal of the Year, and assistant superintendent, to Connecticut’s first Latino education commissioner, Dr. Cardona has already had an extraordinary journey that signifies the possibility of educational equity.

And now this bittersweet moment for our state is matched by the joy of Dr. Cardona’s newest voyage on that journey, and the impact he will make in the lives of all the nation’s children, as the future U.S. Secretary of Education. Congratulations, Dr. Cardona, and thank you for your friendship, partnership, and collaborative spirit. This is truly another historic moment in the making.

- The SERC Team