Lakewood Public Schools is committed to proving a web presence that is compliant with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504, and Title II so that visitors with disabilities can access the same information as those without disabilities.  The pursuit of this commitment will be to the extent that adaptations do not create an undue burden or fundamentally alter the content of the district’s web presence.

These adaptations should ensure that people with disabilities are able to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same benefits and services within the same time-frame 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 LPS program, service, and activity delivered online.

Website Accessibility Coordinators

The LPS Website Accessibility Coordinator is:

Michael Beach
Director of Technology
techteam@lakewoodps.org

Technology Department Email
616-374-2222

Standards for Accessibility

All new and updated web content produced by LPS will conform to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Level AA conformance, effective September 1, 2017. This regulation applies to all new and updated web pages as well as all web content produced or updated by LPS.  Existing web content is being edited for compliance in a manner and timeline that will not create an undue burden or fundamentally alter the content of the district’s web presence.  December 31, 2018 is the expected date for completion.

Undue Burden or Fundamental Alteration

LPS shall take all reasonable steps to ensure that all public LPS web content on its public website is accessible to persons with disabilities to the same extent as nondisabled persons. However, in certain circumstances accessibility may create an undue burden on the District or fundamentally alter the content. In these instances, the District will make a reasonable effort to provide equally effective alternate access to the information with the intent of providing persons with disabilities equal opportunity to obtain the same result, to gain the same benefit, or to reach the same level of achievement, in the most integrated setting appropriate to the person’s needs.

A determination as to whether or not making web content accessible presents an undue burden or fundamentally alters the content may only be made by the LPS Website Accessibility Coordinators in consultation with the LPS Superintendent and other applicable LPS personnel.

Implementation Responsibility

The LPS Website Accessibility Coordinators shall generally be responsible for ensuring compliance with these Web Accessibility Guidelines and applicable law and Board Policy. However, each LPS program and service is responsible for ensuring that its public web content complies with its requirements of such.

Complaint Procedures

Concerns about the accessibility or lack of accessibility of LPS website content or other public LPS online content should be directed to techteam@lakewoodps.org. The complaint should be as specific as possible identifying the content that the complainant believes is not accessible and providing a link to the related content.  A verbal complaint or grievance may also be made. When a school administrator or school/District webmaster receives the information, they shall immediately inform the superintendent or designee.

Complaints may also be directed to one of the LPS Website Accessibility Coordinators identified in this Policy.

Should a complainant believe that the LPS has failed to take appropriate action to make public web content accessible, the complainant may, file a complaint with the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.

Office for Civil Rights, Cleveland Office
U.S. Department of Education 600 Superior Ave. East, Suite 750
Cleveland, OH 44114-2611
Telephone: 216-522-4970
Fax: 216-522-2573
E-mail: OCR.Cleveland@ed.gov