A "504 plan" is a document created by a school to provide accommodations and support for a student with a disability, ensuring they have equal access to education within the general classroom setting. In many cases these accommodations and supports come at little or not cost. They are simply a way to ensure students with disabilities get the help they need.

504 plans have been a crucial part of my families lives. I have two daughters who are deaf and have bilateral (both ears) cochlear implants. While these devices are amazing and allow them to hear, they by no means are equal to traditional hearing. The 504 plans they have both had for years have been critical to keeping their level of education equal to their peers. The plans ensure they are allowed to use special amplification devices, sit near the front of the class, have closed caption on instructional videos, receive copies of lesson plans to read along, and even use hearing improvement devices in sports allowing them to have an equal playing field with other athletes. I can guarantee you that without these 504 plans my daughters would not be where they are today. I would bet most parents with children who have benefited from a 504 plan would say the same.

At this time, Utah Attorney General Derek Brown and the State of Utah have decided to enter a lawsuit against the United States Department of Health and Human Services, demanding that 504 plans be declared “unconstitutional”. Legislatures in the 17 participating states have attempted to spin this lawsuit as being only about the inclusion of gender dysphoria. However, this is simply false. On page 42 of the lawsuit under “Demand for Relief” the “Plaintiffs respectfully request that the Court Declare Section 504, 29 U.S.C. § 794, unconstitutional” and “Issue permanent injunctive relief against Defendants enjoining them from enforcing Section 504.”

While the exact number is difficult to obtain, it is a fact that millions of children with disabilities benefit TODAY from 504 plans. The 17 states involved in this lawsuit, including the State of Utah, are riding roughshod over children with disabilities in the name of their own political ideology.

Despite entering the lawsuit, Utah Attorney General Derek Brown has said he is “committed to protecting Section 504.” If someone says they are committed to protecting something, why enter a lawsuit with legal language that clearly requests it be declared unconstitutional? If the true intent is aimed at a specific component of the Rehabilitation Act, then work with to target that component, not the entire act. Actions speak louder than words. If they truly want to protect 504s then withdraw from the lawsuit that seeks to eliminate them. 

Please sign this petition and demand that Utah Attorney General Derek Brown and Governor Spencer Cox withdraw from this overtly broad and potentially damaging lawsuit. Protect our children with disabilities.