Fact · Accessibility and health
The Section 504 regulations require a school district to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to each qualified student with a disability in its jurisdiction, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“The Section 504 regulations require a school district to provide a "free appropriate public education" (FAPE) to each qualified student with a disability who is in the school district's jurisdiction, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability.”
Frequently Asked Questions: Section 504 Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), Office for Civil Rights, US Department of Education, 2025, Introduction.
Open the original- What it measures
- The same page says FAPE under Section 504 consists of regular or special education and related aids and services designed to meet the student's individual educational needs as adequately as the needs of nondisabled students are met. Schools usually record these aids and services in a written 504 plan.
- What it does not show
- Applies to programs that receive federal financial assistance from the Department of Education, such as public school districts. It does not say which specific aids a given student must receive; that is decided individually.