POLICY 5020.3 – EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF HANDICAP

SECTION 504 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973

Superintendent of Schools

(Sharon L. Contreras, 435-4161)

Executive Director of Talent Management

(Jeremy Grant-Skinner, 435-4212)

January 2015

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 provides that ". . . no otherwise qualified disabled individual . . . shall, solely by reason of his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal assistance."

It is the desire and intent of the Board of Education of the Syracuse City School District to comply in every respect with the provisions of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability).

ADOPTED POLICY

The Syracuse City School District, Syracuse, New York, does not discriminate on the basis of disability in the educational programs or activities which it operates, and it is required by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability) not to discriminate in such a manner.

This policy of nondiscrimination includes the following areas: recruitment and appointment of employees, employment pay and benefits, and job assignment and classification. It also requires that the employer make reasonable accommodations for disabled persons, unless it can be demonstrated that the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the employer.

ADMINISTRATIVE BULLETIN NO. 22

(Distribution: General)

SYRACUSE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Syracuse, New York

This policy of nondiscrimination also includes the provision that when new buildings are constructed, the facilities are to be readily accessible to and usable by disabled persons.

In addition, the regulation provides free appropriate education to each qualified disabled child in the most normal setting appropriate, plus evaluation requirements insuring proper classification and placement of disabled children, with due process procedures for resolving disputes over placement of students.

The following official of the Syracuse City School District has the responsibility for the coordination of activities relating to compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability) and will provide information, including complaint procedures, to any student or employee who feels that her/his rights under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability) may have been violated by the District or its officials: Jeremy Grant-Skinner, Executive Director of Talent Management, 725 Harrison Street, Syracuse, New York 13210, telephone (315) 4354212.

It was directed that this policy be transmitted, via a School District administrative bulletin, to all union and other employee organizations with which the District conducts collective bargaining; and that a statement of this policy become a part of all employment applications.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability) requires the adoption of a complaint procedure. The official complaint procedure was revised in July 1994 as the official complaint procedure for the Syracuse City School District.

A legal notice of compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability) was published in The Post Standard.

Policy Adoption: April 9, 2003