Student civil rights protections could be initiated by sickle cell disease, epilepsy, and cancer

Dive Brief:

• Medical conditions such as
  
  sickle cell disease
  
  ,
  
  epilepsy
  
  and
  
  cancer
  
  may activate protections in K-12 and postsecondary schools under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a civil rights law safeguarding individuals against disability discrimination, according to resources provided by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights on Thursday.

• Some of the support measures outlined in the resources entail permitting students with cancer to have food and water during classes and excusing students with sickle cell disease from class for medical appointments. OCR noted that students having a seizure may exhibit sudden emotions or repetitive actions like twitches and mouth movements.

• These resources come subsequent to OCR’s February