Office for Civil Rights Requires Lawrence County School District (AL) to Address Accessibility Concerns at East Lawrence High School Gym, Baseball Field, and Football Field
OCR identifies concerns with accessible parking, accessible routes, signage, seating, restrooms, and concessions at East Lawrence High School athletic facilities.
April 10, 2026, U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a letter of findings to Lawrence County School District (LCSD) in Alabama, after investigating a complaint alleging that the district discriminated against individuals with disabilities by failing to provide access to the gym, baseball field, and football field at East Lawrence High School.
OCR investigated three issues:
“1. Whether the District failed to provide designated accessible parking for the School gym, an accessible route to the gym, or accessible seating within the gym, in violation of Section 504 and its implementing regulation at 34 C.F.R. §§ 104.21-104.23, and Title II and its implementing regulation at 28 C.F.R. §§ 35.149-35.151.
“2. Whether the District failed to provide designated accessible parking for the baseball field and an accessible route to the baseball field, in violation of Section 504 and its implementing regulation at 34 C.F.R. §§ 104.21-104.23, and Title II and its implementing regulation at 28 C.F.R. §§ 35.149-35.151.
“3. Whether the District failed to provide designated accessible parking for the football field, an accessible route to the football field, and an accessible route to the football field restrooms and concessions, in violation of Section 504 and its implementing regulation at 34 C.F.R. §§ 104.21-104.23, and Title II and its implementing regulation at 28 C.F.R. §§ 35.149-35.151.”
Before OCR completed its investigation, LCSD expressed interest in resolving the complaint. March 3, 2026, the district entered into a resolution agreement with OCR after OCR determined its investigation had identified accessibility concerns that could be addressed through an agreement.
What Happened
The complaint alleged that individuals who have disabilities could not access East Lawrence High School’s gym, baseball field, and football field in the same way nondisabled people could access these facilities.
School access doesn’t stop at the classroom door. Students and family members attend games. Students participate in athletics, band, cheer, clubs, ceremonies, and school events. If the school hosts the event, accessibility matters.
OCR reviewed the gym, baseball field, and football field under the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design because the facilities had been renovated after 2012. OCR noted that the gym was built in 1978 and that the gym bleachers were replaced approximately 10 years ago. OCR also reviewed documentation showing later additions and renovations to the baseball field and football field, including football stadium renovations as recently as November 2020.
That matters because when a school alters part of a facility, the altered portion has to be made accessible to the maximum extent feasible.
Schools do not get to keep updating facilities for everyone else while ignoring access for people who have disabilities.
