Kathryn Vander Broek Contributes to Article on Ways to Address 504 Needs of Students With Individual Health Plans

November 21, 2014

Kathryn S. Vander Broek contributed to the article "How I Advise My Clients: What's the best way to address 504 needs of numerous students with IHPs?," which appears on Special Ed Connection, a leading news source for special education professionals.

Ms. Vander Broek notes that "[w]hether a school has a few or many students with IHPs [individual health plans], each must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the student's health condition rises to the level of a disability and, if so, the need for and nature of reasonable accommodations." She addresses three important questions that "can assist in screening these cases and developing an appropriate plan of action to better ensure nondiscrimination in regard to students with IHPs" — (1) Is the student's health condition temporary or ongoing?; (2) Could the student be eligible under IDEA [the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act]?; and (3) Is the IHP an update for a student already qualified for a 504 plan?

Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP is a U.S. based law firm with offices nationwide. The firm's national reputation spans the insurance industry, the financial services sector, and other highly regulated industries. Hinshaw also serves as counsel to the professional services sector, and provides business advisory and transactional services to clients of all sizes.