Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act: determining eligibility and implications for school districts.

Today, school districts are challenged in meeting the health and educational needs of students with chronic health conditions. One of the challenges school districts face is determining when students with health-related disabilities are eligible for services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This article reviews Section 504 and its regulations as they apply to public schools, particularly with respect to eligibility criteria for students with special health care needs.

Legal and ethical issues: questions and answers.

This article, in Question and Answer (Q&A) format, focuses on legal concerns raised by practicing school nurses across the country. In this Q & A edition, four questions submitted to the Section Editors by JOSN readers are included, with responses to each. The main topics of the questions are (a) the rights of emancipated and mature minors; (b) the "rights" of nonnurse supervisors to direct or assume the practice of school nursing; (c) the right of a school district to exclude a student from a fieldtrip (versus the right of the student to participate); and (d) the right of a school district to change the level of nursing care provided to a special education student.