How Does My I.E.P or 504 Plan Work With Concurrent Enrollment?
Know the Difference between High School and College
In high school, the federal law known as I.D.E.A. focuses on students' academic success. High schools initiate accommodation services and often draw up 504 plans and I.E.P.s' to list student's strengths, weakness, and accommodations. Parents advocate for their children to high school teachers and administration.
In college, the I.D.E.A., 504 Plans, and I.E.P.s no longer apply. Federal laws called the A.D.A. and The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 focus not on ensuring students' success but instead ensuring equal access to all of the classes, programs, and services that the college offers. College's do not seek out students with disabilities to provide accommodations and services; students must initiate their own services by providing the college's Disability Resource Center with specific medical documents. College students are adults and their own advocates.
For further information on the difference between high school and college see the Office of Civil Rights' Students with Disabilities Preparing for Post-Secondary Education: Right and Responsibilities.
Concurrent Enrollment Students ARE University Students
Whether a concurrent enrollment class is taught on the university campus by a UT faculty member, or on the high school campus by an approved high school teacher, the course is a "college class" and is treated as such, even for students with an I.E.P. or 504 Plan. As such:
A high school I.E.P. or 504 Plan is not valid or enforced in a college concurrent enrollment class. Only accommodations established by UT's Disability Resource Center are recognized.
Students are treated as adults whose privacy is protected (even from their parents) unless a signed waiver is in place. This applies even to students under the age of 18.
Students unable to advocate for themselves or perform at a college level academically are not ready for early college and should not participate in concurrent enrollment.