School Website Accessibility Policy Template

As part of the WCAG 2.1 specification to make school websites accessible and ADA compliant, your school is required to make public its Web Accessibility Policy. This form is designed to make it easy for you to quickly create your own policy, so you can demonstrate you are taking the proper steps to make and keep your website accessible for individuals with disabilities.

In order to comply with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, websites must meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as instituted by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Those schools not complying are subject to official complaints from the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, fines from the U.S. Department of Justice, and further legal action.

How to use this form

The most convenient and effective way to share your policy with your entire school community is to include it on the school website itself. We also recommend sharing it via other channels and make it available elsewhere for public viewing (e.g., posted in school offices, mailed and emailed to parents and members of the school community). For purposes of having centralized, easy-to-access content, posting this information on your website is recommended.

Once the policy is created, access to it should be included via a link in the footer of your website. In addition, you should include a link/mechanism that will allow a visitor to report a potential violation they find on your website.

Campus Suite provides this policy to use and modify as you require. You should review it with your school board, staff and faculty, and incorporate it into your school web communication policies.

[District/school] School Website Accessibility Policy

The [District/school] is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website for students, parents, and members of the community with disabilities. All pages on the [District/school] website will conform to the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative’s (WAI) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Level AA conformance, or updated equivalents of these guidelines.

The [Superintendent/School Director] is directed to establish procedures whereby students, parents, and members of the public may present a complaint regarding a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 and Title II related to the accessibility of any official District web presence which is developed by, maintained by, or offered through the District or third party vendors and open sources.

Website Accessibility

With regard to the [District/school] website and any official [District/school] web presence which is developed by, maintained by, or offered through third party vendors and open sources, the [District/school] is committed to compliance with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 and Title II so that students, parents 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 and services 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/school] programs, services, and activities delivered online.

All existing web content produced by the [District/school], and new, updated and existing web content provided by third-party developers, will conform to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Level AA conformance, or updated equivalents, by [Date]. This Regulation applies to all new, updated, and existing web pages, as well as all web content produced or updated by the [District/school] or provided by third-party developers.

Website Accessibility Concerns, Complaints and Grievances

A student, parent or member of the public who wishes to submit a complaint or grievance regarding a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 or Title II related to the accessibility of any official [District/school] web presence that is developed by, maintained by, or offered through the [District/school], third party vendors and/or open sources may complain directly to a school administrator, or the school or District webmaster. The initial complaint or grievance should be made using Website Accessibility Complaint/Request Form, however, a verbal complaint or grievance may be made. When a school administrator or School/District webmaster receives the information, they shall immediately inform the [website compliance coordinator].

Whether or not a formal complaint or grievance is made, once the [District/school] has been notified of inaccessible content, effective communication shall be provided as soon as possible to the reporting party 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, via email, or by completing the website complaint form. To file a complaint or grievance regarding the inaccessibility of the [District/school] public website content, the Complainant should submit the website feedback form.

The formal ADA non-compliance complaint should include the following:

• Name

• Address

• Date of the Complaint

• Description of the problem encountered

• Web address or location of the problem page

• Solution desired

• Contact information in case more details are needed (email and phone number)

The complaint or grievance will be investigated by the [website compliance coordinator] or another person designated by the [Superintendent/School Director]. The student, parent, or member of the public shall be contacted no later than five (5) working days following the date the website accessibility compliance coordinator receives the information. The procedures to be followed are:

• An investigation of the complaint shall be completed within fifteen (15) working days. Extension of the timeline may only be approved by the [Superintendent/School Director].

• The investigator shall prepare a written report of the findings and conclusions within five (5) working days of the completion of the investigation.

• The investigator shall contact the Complainant upon conclusion of the investigation to discuss the findings and conclusions and actions to be taken as a result of the investigation.

A record of each complaint and grievance made pursuant to Governing Board Policy [###] shall be maintained at the [District/school] office. The record shall include a copy of the complaint or grievance filed, report of findings from the investigation, and the disposition of the matter.