Referral

A parent, guardian, teacher or other member of the school staff may raise a concern about a student’s unique need for support. Ideally, in order to respond adequately to the needs of students with possible disabilities, the process should begin with a meeting between the student’s parents and teacher. If further intervention is needed, a referral to a problem-solving team is appropriate. In Florida schools, these teams may be referred to as a student assistance team (SAT), child study team (CST), educational planning team (EPT), pupil assistance team (PAT), teacher support team (TST), intervention assistance team (IAT), student services team (SST), or student support team (SST), among others. The team is required to provide documentation for each step in the process.

Compliance with the requirements of Section 504, IDEA, and the Florida Educational Equity Act (FEEA) will assure that the needs of Florida’s students are met in an equitable, fair, and non-discriminatory manner.

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MYTH: When a student is referred for an ESE evaluation and is deemed ineligible for ESE, the student is automatically covered by Section 504.

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