504 Continued

I recently wrote about how I was having trouble getting an accommodation plan for me at work. For those who are not familiar with a 504 plan, this is an accommodation plan for teachers and students. Since having Crohn’s, I have to leave the classroom a few times during the day while my students are in the room.

Technically, it is against the law to leave kids on their own. At my other school, I often struggled on a day-to-day basis to get somebody to cover my class so I can dip out real quick. I had to get the paperwork to legally keep me covered if something happens when I am not in the room. Also, I needed the paperwork to give the school the right to send somebody to my room anytime I need them, no questions asked.

The paperwork

Not going to lie, dealing with the school district was very easy. I reached out to my union representative who advised me to let her know when I get the proper paperwork back from my doctor. She was going to speak to her contact at the board of education, to speed up the process. 

I had no idea that my doctor would take so long filling out the paperwork. It became very frustrating as I have waited for over two months. All I needed was a few papers signed, so I was really frustrated when my primary doctor could not sign one piece of paper. I finally went into the office to demand the paper. The staff was really shocked to see my face, but what did they expect. I can’t stand when people are tardy. Let's just say that the paperwork was filled out by the time I went into the office.

A surprisingly quick process

When the paperwork was signed, I drove it to the board of education on a late Tuesday afternoon. I expected the paperwork to be processed within a week or so. By my surprise, I received an email from the school district, telling me that my papers have been processed and approved. They sent me a formal letter which copied my principal as well.

The letter stated that I would be able to leave meetings to use the restroom uninterrupted. It also said that I would not have to go on trips that would have limited access to bathrooms or long road trips where we would not be able to stop. That is a big one, as I do not feel comfortable going on class trips. Finally, the letters stated that somebody was to come to my room anytime I called the office to relieve me. There were no questions asked. The next school day, I was called into my principal's office.

Support from my administration

She wanted to talk to me about the letter. She was more than understanding and told me to call the office at any time I needed relief. I felt great knowing that my administration understood, and there were legal documents to back me up. I felt like this was one small step for IBD patients.