Digital Accessibility
Standards Reference Library
A centralized knowledge hub for the regulatory and technical standards governing school district accessibility in the United States.
Federal Rule Breakdown: ADA Title II 2024
The Department of Justice (DOJ) updated ADA Title II in April 2024, establishing the first specific technical standards for state and local government web and mobile accessibility.
Enforcement Timeline
- Populations 50,000+April 24, 2026
- Populations < 50,000April 26, 2027
WCAG 2.1 Level AA Explained
The DOJ rule specifically adopts WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the technical standard. This includes 50 success criteria designed to make digital content Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR).
PDF/UA Compliance Guide
While WCAG covers web content, PDF/UA (ISO 14289) is the international standard for PDF accessibility. In school districts, most non-compliance occurs in documents.
- Tags: Every element must be semantically tagged (e.g., <P>, <H1>, <L>).
- Order: The reading order for assistive technology must follow the visual flow.
- Artifacts: Decorative elements must be marked as artifacts to be ignored by screen readers.
- Metadata: The document title and primary language must be declared.
Minnesota MN.IT State Overlay
Minnesota school districts must also align with MN.IT Accessibility Standards, which mirror federal rules but often include localized enforcement and state reporting structures.
Current Status: MN is transitioning state-level enforcement to align directly with the 2024 ADA Title II deadlines.
Hub FAQ
Does ADA Title II apply to school district websites?
Yes. All state and local government entities, including school districts (K-12) and public universities, are covered entities under Title II.
Do school districts have to comply with WCAG?
Yes. As of the 2024 update, WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the designated technical standard for compliance.
Are PDFs covered under ADA?
Yes. The rule applies to all 'web content' and 'mobile apps,' which includes documents like PDFs, Docs, and Spreadsheets hosted on district platforms.