RIDGEWOOD PREPARATORY SCHOOL
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES COMPLIANCE PLAN
The Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) prohibits discrimination because of a disability. The ADA protects qualified individuals with disabilities from discrimination in the area of employment. The ADA also protects individuals with disabilities from discrimination by certain businesses that provide services and goods, including certain private schools. In accordance with the ADA, Ridgewood Preparatory School has adopted a policy that prohibits discrimination against individuals on the basis of disability. This policy details the responsibilities of Ridgewood Preparatory School and the rights of students and members of the general public.
Disability
To receive protections of the law in the first instance, the individual must have a “disability.” Generally speaking, an individual has a disability under one or more of the following conditions:
- The individual has a physical and/or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.
- The individual has a record or history of having a physical and/or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.
- The individual is regarded as, or have been misclassified as, having a physical and/or mental impairment, and has been subjected to a discriminatory act that is illegal under the ADA and/or Section 504.
An individual who does not have a disability, as defined above, can also be protected by the ADA if they are discriminated against because of the known disability of an individual with whom they have a relationship or association. This can include parents, guardians, and siblings of individuals with disabilities.
Prohibition Against Discrimination
Ridgewood Preparatory School will not discriminate against any individual on the basis of disability, including a mobility or neural disability, or on the basis of any individual’s association or relationship with an individual with a disability in the full and equal enjoyment of its goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations. Ridgewood Preparatory will not impose or apply eligibility criteria that screen out or tend to screen out individuals with disabilities, including mobility or neural disabilities, unless such criteria can be shown to be necessary.
Reasonable Modification
Ridgewood Preparatory School will make reasonable modifications to policies, practices, and procedures when such modifications are necessary to afford access to individuals with disabilities, including mobility and neural disabilities, unless the school demonstrates that the requested modifications would fundamentally alter the nature of its goods, services or facilities or are otherwise unreasonable or violate applicable law.
Interactive Process for Reasonable Modifications
The process is interactive, in which the individuals and Ridgewood Preparatory School work together to formulate the best modification plan available for the student. However, remember that, while the individual’s preference is to be considered, Ridgewood Preparatory School does not have to choose the preferred modification, but rather the modification that is reasonable, permits the individual to have full and equal enjoyment of Ridgewood Preparatory School’s goods, services, or benefits and conforms with applicable law.
Upon request of a reasonable modification arising from a disability, Ridgewood shall appropriately consider requests for reasonable modification(s). Ridgewood will initiate a discussion with the child, where appropriate, and the parent(s) or guardian(s), and may require applicable information from the student’s treating medical provider to determine whether the child has a disability for which he or she needs modifications(s) and to explore what modifications(s) may be appropriate pursuant to the ADA. Ridgewood will make an individualized determination based on the specific facts of each request. Ridgewood will provide a response to a request for a reasonable modification in writing addressed to the parents or legal guardian(s)within fourteen (14) days from the date the request was received.
Documentation of Disability
A student who wishes to receive modifications for the student’s disability should make a request to Compliance Officer Gail Kramer. The procedures require that the student provide recent, supporting documentation of the disability from an appropriate treating professional that is relevant to the requested modification. This documentation should include a diagnosis of the disability, the major life activities that the disability impairs, any functional or educational limitations caused by the disability and recommended modifications. When the disability, resulting limitation, and necessary reasonable modifications are open, obvious, and apparent, Ridgewood Preparatory School may decide that the above documentation is not required and will work with the student and their parent(s) or guardian(s) to determine what information is needed to evaluate the request for a reasonable modification.
The documentation of a student’s disability is confidential and will be kept separate from other educational records. The documentation will only be disclosed to those persons who have a legitimate need to know about a student’s disability.
Physical Education Requirements
Ridgewood Preparatory School will not exclude a student with disabilities from a physical educational program if the student can meet the fundamental requirements of the program with or without a reasonable modification. Ridgewood will provide reasonable modifications, provide auxiliary aids or services, and/or remove architectural barriers as required by the ADA to ensure that a student with a disability can fully participate in the physical education program.
Off-Campus Programs and Activities
Ridgewood Preparatory School does not administer or operate off-campus programs, services or activities. Should student participation be required in any such activity, Ridgewood Preparatory School will ensure that the program or activity provides an equal opportunity for participation of students with known disabilities.
Complaint Process
Students, their parents or legal guardians may request a reasonable modification, appeal the decision, file a complaint of disability discrimination or harassment with or seek additional information from Gail Kramer, Compliance Officer at (504) 835-2545 or gkramer@ridgewoodprep.com.
Access to Facilities
Ridgewood Preparatory School shall remove architectural barriers in existing facilities, including communication barriers that are structural in nature, where such removal is readily achievable, i.e., easily accomplishable and able to be carried out without much difficulty or expense, and is required by applicable law. If barrier removal is not readily achievable, Ridgewood Preparatory shall make its goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations available through alternative methods, if those methods are readily achievable and required by applicable law. Furthermore, each new facility will be designed and constructed in such a way that it is readily accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities.