Description

POSITION: Director of 504 Compliance - Student Support Services

REPORTS TO: Executive Director of Student Support Services or Designee

PRIMARY FUNCTION: The Director of 504 Compliance provides districtwide leadership, oversight, and accountability for Hartford Public Schools' implementation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and related protections under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Director establishes consistent systems, procedures, training, monitoring, and technical assistance to ensure students with disabilities are appropriately identified, evaluated, accommodated, and supported across all schools and programs.

Serving as the district's lead subject-matter resource for student Section 504 compliance, the Director partners with school leaders, school-based 504 coordinators, Health Services, Special Education, Student Support Services, Legal/Labor Relations, families, and external educational partners. The Director oversees complex and high-risk cases, promotes legally defensible practices, strengthens data quality and documentation, and leads continuous improvement efforts that advance equitable access and student success.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Districtwide 504 Leadership and Compliance
• Provide strategic and operational leadership for the district's Section 504 program, ensuring consistent implementation of federal law, Board policy, district procedures, and applicable guidance across schools and programs.
• Develop, maintain, and periodically revise districtwide Section 504 procedures, guidance documents, forms, protocols, and decision-making tools to promote legally sound and consistent practice.
• Monitor district compliance with Section 504 and Title II requirements through case reviews, school audits, data analysis, documentation reviews, and corrective-action follow-up.
• Serve as the district's primary technical resource on student Section 504 matters and advise administrators, school teams, and central-office leaders on complex eligibility, evaluation, accommodation, implementation, and procedural questions.
• Identify compliance risks and systemic trends, recommend corrective actions, and provide regular reports and recommendations to the Executive Director and other district leaders.

Case Oversight, Problem Solving, and Family Support

• Provide oversight and consultation for complex, sensitive, high-risk, and disputed Section 504 cases, including matters involving significant medical, behavioral, mental-health, attendance, access, or educational concerns.
• Serve as the district point of escalation for difficult Section 504 matters and support school teams in developing individualized, student-centered, and legally appropriate solutions.
• Attend or facilitate Section 504 meetings when district-level participation is warranted, including complex in-district cases and cases involving out-of-district magnet, charter, or choice-school placements.
• Support timely resolution of parent/guardian concerns and complaints through clear communication, documentation, problem solving, and collaboration with school leaders and district departments.
• Coordinate with Health Services and school nurses regarding emergency care plans and accommodations for medically fragile students and students with chronic, episodic, or emergent health conditions.

School Capacity Building and Professional Learning

• Lead a comprehensive professional-learning framework for school-based 504 coordinators, administrators, educators, related-service staff, and other personnel responsible for Section 504 implementation.
• Build the capacity of school teams to conduct well-run, equitable, and legally defensible Section 504 meetings and to make data-informed eligibility and accommodation decisions.
• Provide coaching, technical assistance, tools, and ongoing support to school-based coordinators to strengthen consistency, documentation, communication, and implementation.
• Develop targeted training in response to compliance findings, legal developments, data trends, recurring implementation concerns, and identified school needs.

Data, Systems, Monitoring, and Accountability

• Oversee districtwide Section 504 data collection, recordkeeping, and reporting across electronic student management systems, including 504 Direct or successor platforms.
• Establish data-quality standards and monitoring routines to ensure accurate, timely, and complete records related to eligibility, plans, reviews, accommodations, and implementation.
• Develop dashboards, compliance reports, case-status reports, and trend analyses to support district leadership and school accountability.
• Use data to identify disparities, recurring barriers, implementation gaps, overdue actions, and opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with Information Technology and system vendors to improve workflow, usability, data integrity, reporting functionality, and system integration.

Legal, Regulatory, and Interdepartmental Coordination

• Partner with district legal counsel and appropriate administrators on Section 504 complaints, Office for Civil Rights matters, investigations, records requests, corrective actions, and other compliance-related issues.
• Maintain current knowledge of Section 504, Title II of the ADA, applicable federal and state guidance, relevant case law, and emerging compliance expectations affecting public schools.
• Collaborate with Special Education, Health Services, Student Support Services, Academics, Enrollment, Transportation, and other departments to ensure coordinated and appropriate services for students with disabilities.
• Serve as liaison, as appropriate, with charter, magnet, choice, and other external schools serving Hartford students who require Section 504 protections.
• Promote equitable access and consistent implementation of accommodations across instructional, extracurricular, transportation, health, and other school-related settings.

Supervision, Continuous Improvement, and Executive Support

• Supervise, coach, evaluate, and develop assigned staff, establish clear performance expectations, and ensure timely, accurate, and responsive service delivery.
• Lead districtwide projects and improvement initiatives designed to strengthen Section 504 systems, reduce compliance risk, improve customer service, and enhance student access.
• Prepare reports, presentations, briefing materials, and recommendations for the Executive Director, Superintendent, Cabinet, Board committees, or other stakeholders as assigned.
• Represent Student Support Services on district committees, cross-functional workgroups, and external meetings related to disability access, student support, and compliance.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS/ABILITIES OF IDEAL CANDIDATE:

• Master's degree in education, educational leadership, special education, school counseling, social work, public administration, law, health services, or a closely related field preferred; bachelor's degree in a related field required.
• Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience involving Section 504, disability compliance, student support services, special education, school counseling, school health, or a closely related area.
• Demonstrated expertise in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, including identification, evaluation, accommodation, procedural safeguards, and school-based implementation.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex compliance matters, conducting case reviews, resolving difficult stakeholder concerns, and developing legally defensible procedures and documentation.
• Experience designing and facilitating professional learning for administrators, educators, coordinators, and multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience using student information, compliance, or case-management systems; experience with 504 Direct or comparable systems preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze data, identify systemic trends, develop corrective actions, and monitor implementation.
• Strong leadership, supervision, project-management, communication, facilitation, conflict-resolution, and organizational skills.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, manage sensitive matters, and operate effectively in a fast-paced urban school district.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, student access, collaboration, responsive customer service, and continuous improvement.
• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.

CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: Connecticut Intermediate Administrative Certification (092) is required.

SALARY AND TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT: This is a twelve-month position, and the salary is in accordance with the Hartford Principals' and Supervisors' Association [redacted] Schedule: Group 12: $$149,609 - $162,873.

UNION AFFILIATION: Hartford Principals' Supervisors' Association (HPSA)

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: To be considered, all internal and external applicants must fully complete a Hartford Public Schools' online application, which can be accessed through our Applicant Tracking System, Nimble, at https://app.hirenimble.com/jobs/hartford. Internal applicants should use a personal email address when applying. Please do not use your hartfordschools.org email. The code word for the internal application is hartford (lowercase "h"). Candidates' application and supporting documents will be reviewed. Candidates who advance will be contacted directly by hiring managers for interviews.

Benefits

We Value Our Staff...And It Shows

Hartford Public Schools is seeking excellent candidates and wants to provide the best experience for you.

We have put together a comprehensive package of benefits and incentives.

Financial Incentives

• Tuition Reimbursement: Up to $3,000 annually
• Residency Differential: 3% of base salary for certified administrators (HPSA members) living in Hartford
• Differential for Doctorate in Education: $2,500 annually

Additional Benefits

• Comprehensive health, vision, and dental insurance
• Board contribution of 50% of the applicable Health Savings Account (HSA) deductible
• 5 Personal days per year; 20 Sick days per year
• Life insurance (2x annual salary)
• Loan forgiveness (State & Federal)
• Professional learning
• Career growth opportunities

Position Subject to Available Funding

Note: The above description covers the principle duties and responsibilities of the position. The description should not, however, be construed as a complete listing of all duties or as a contract. In all cases, these relationships, functions, and their applications are subject to change by the superintendent of schools.