6141.3221 6141.3221Instruction
Computers: Websites/Pages
Website Accessibility
The __________ School District (District) is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website(s) for students, parents/guardians staff and members of the community with disabilities. The District will provide equal and integrated access in compliance with state and federal laws and regulations, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, (Section 504) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, (Section 508) and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as amended.
With regard to the District website and any official District web presence which is developed by, or offered through third party vendors and other open sources, the District will comply with the provisions of the ADA and Section 504 so that students, parents/guardians, staff and members of the public with disabilities are able to independently acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same benefits within the same timeframe as those without disabilities, with substantially equivalent ease of use; and that they are not excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or otherwise subjected to discrimination in any District programs, services and activities delivered online.
All existing web content produced by the District and new, updated and existing web content produced by the District and/or provided by third-party developers will conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Level AA conformance and the Web Accessibility Initiative Accessible Rich Internet Application Suite (WAI-ARIA), developed by the Web Accessible Initiative, for web-based content, or any updated equivalents.
The [designated responsible personnel or 3rd party] will be responsible, on a periodic basis, for reviewing and evaluating new material that is published by District staff and updated to the website. The [designated responsible personnel or 3rd party] shall be responsible for reviewing all areas of the District and School websites and evaluating their accessibility on a periodic basis. Non-conforming webpages are to be corrected in a timely manner.
A student, parent/guardian, staff member or member of the public can submit a complaint or grievance regarding the accessibility of any District or School web presence that is developed by, maintained by, or offered through District, third party vendors and/or open sources directly to a school administrator or District webmaster. Upon receipt of the initial complaint or grievance, the website compliance coordinator is to be informed. Individuals or groups are encouraged to utilize the District process towards resolving disability-related grievances.
Whether or not a formal complaint is made, the District, upon notification of inaccessible content, shall communicate with the reporting party as soon as possible in order to provide access to the information. The complainant should not have to wait for the investigation of the complaint to be concluded before receiving the information that he/she was unsuccessful in accessing. Complaints should be submitted in writing or via email.
The complaint or grievance is to be investigated by the [website compliance coordinator] or another person designated by the Superintendent/School Principal. The investigation of the complaint shall be completed within fifteen working days, unless an extension is approved by the Superintendent. A record of each complaint and grievance shall be maintained at the District office. Such record shall include a copy of the complaint or grievance filed, report of findings from the investigation and the disposition of the matter.
Limits of Required Modification: A district is not required to take any action that it can demonstrate would result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of the service, program or activity or in undue financial and administrative burdens. Any decision that compliance with its responsibility to provide effective communication for individuals with disabilities would fundamentally alter the service, program, or activity or unduly burden a district shall be made by a Board after considering all resources available for use in funding and operating the program, service or activity. The decision shall be accompanied by a written statement of the reasons for reaching that conclusion. (28 C.F.R. 35.164) |
(cf. 0521.1 - Grievance Procedure)
(cf. 1110 - Communications with the Public)
(cf. 4118.113/4218.113 - Nondiscrimination)
(cf. 5145 - Section 504: Civil and Legal Rights and Responsibilities)
(cf. 6121 - Nondiscrimination)
(cf. 6141.321 - Acceptable Use of the Internet)
(cf. 6141.322 - Computers: Websites/Pages)
Legal Reference: Connecticut General Statutes
10-15c Discrimination in public schools prohibited.
46a 60 Discriminatory employment practices prohibited.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. §§791, 793-794 (2006), (34 Code of Federal Regulations Part 104)
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. §§12101-12213; 29 C.F.R. Part 1630 (2006); 28 C.F.R. Part 35 (2006)
Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008
Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. 2510-2522
Policy adopted: