I'm going to start by laying it all out there: if you're a school district leader and you haven't started working on digital accessibility, you're behind. Really behind.
If your district serves a population of 50,000 or more, you need to comply with WCAG 2.1 AA Standards by April 24, 2026. For districts serving populations under 50,000, the deadline is April 26, 2027.
Frankly, most districts are. And I get it. You have approximately a thousand things competing for your attention today, and four thousand more to round out the rest of your week, and with the accessibility deadline still a ways out (April 24, 2026 for districts serving a population of 50,000 or more, and April 26, 2027 for districts serving populations under 50,000), it's easy to push this task down the road.
Here's the thing, though. Despite any rumors or rumblings, the digital accessibility conversation isn't going away (nor should it). And I'd argue it's not just another item on your list. It's the item; the foundation that determines whether the families you serve can actually access all of those other things you're working on.
I'm not intentionally trying to sound dark and ominous, but I do find myself in accessibility conversations feeling like a bit of a Debbie Downer these days. I think it's because it all just feels really overwhelming.
I wish I could offer a magic "easy button" to get us all through the next year. While I definitely haven't found one yet, I don't feel nearly as overwhelmed anymore, and I do hope that if you stick with me and keep reading, you'll have a solid starting point for your plan to address digital accessibility within your district or organization and help keep your district moving forward.
In the most succinct way I know how, I'll define digital accessibility: every piece of digital content accessed on any form of electronic device must provide an equivalent user experience for any person wanting to interact with said content.
The bigger question, though, is why this has become the water cooler conversation of 2025?
Simple. Although Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) have been around for years, the federal government has now dictated that it's a legal requirement (not just best practice). Under a new DOJ rule expanding Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (passed in April 2024), state and local government entities (including school districts) are required to comply with WCAG 2.1 AA … which touches nearly everything your district creates, uses, or shares online.
When I talk to district leaders about accessibility, many of them immediately think about their website. That makes sense; it's the most visible piece of your digital presence, and it's a great and important place to start.
But your website is just a really tiny piece of a much larger puzzle. WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines extend to every digital tool and platform your district uses to communicate with and serve students and families:
Here's a little more about what's expected in each of those areas:
This isn't just about your website. This is about every single digital touchpoint between your district and the students and families you serve.
And here's the hard truth: this isn't going to be easy; I'd venture to say it's going to be harder than you expect it's going to be. And also, you're on the clock.
I need to be very clear about something before we get into the thick of what's next.
Districts should not be taking this work seriously only because there is now a legal requirement. This isn't about checking a compliance box; this is about whether we mean it when we say we serve all students and families.
I've been part of the conversations about who is going to be able to comply (everyone!) and whether or not there is anyone available to hold districts accountable to these requirements or enforce them with disciplinary actions of any kind. I will continue to redirect those conversations. Districts should not be taking this seriously because of the change in legal requirement; the change in legal requirement happened because it's the right thing to do to serve all.
The good news is that you don't have to have everything figured out today. You just need to take the first step.
Acknowledge that this matters. Have the conversation with your administrative team. Make it clear that accessibility is a priority, not because of the deadline, but because of the families you serve. The compliance requirement just happens to align with doing the right thing.
Assemble your task force. Seriously … you need a task force.
This cannot fall on one person or one department. Your team should meet regularly to assign responsibilities and report progress.
Your task force should include:
I encourage Use this checklist to guide your district's accessibility task force through the initial stages of the compliance process. Not every item will apply to your district, but hopefully, it can help you identify and better understand the scope of work ahead.
Assess where you are. You can't fix what you don't know is broken.
Start with your website. Ensure that your Website Accessibility message is available on every page on your site, letting your audience know that if they can't access something you'll find a way to make it available to them. It shows your first and very important step in the effort.
Audit your ten most-visited pages and see what comes up. Identify your "quick wins" like alt text, contrast, and video captioning, and assign these tasks.
Expand the assessment to your learning management system, student information system, and frequently used forms. Brainstorm a list of every third-party platform, tool, and service your district uses that students or families access digitally. Then start asking questions: Are they WCAG 2.1 AA compliant? Can they provide documentation of their compliance? What's their timeline for addressing any gaps? Build accessibility requirements into your RFPs and contracts moving forward.
Create a realistic timeline. You've got until 2026 or 2027, depending on your district size. That sounds like a lot of time … until you realize how much content you probably have and how many other priorities are competing for your team's attention. Break this into manageable phases. Create a calendar or timeline. Commit to tackling 10 website pages and contacting 1-2 vendors each week. Make a plan and stick to it.
Train your staff. Your teachers need to understand how to create accessible content. Your administrators need to know how to make accessible documents. Your communications team needs to understand accessible design. This isn't intuitive for most people and society's shift to visual learning complicates the process. (Ahem, Canva. Please don't get me wrong - I love Canva, but chances are quite high that if something was created using Canva, it needs help to be compliant.)
Download a screen-reader, and use it. Go through your website with it, or if you really want a challenge, attempt to read through a PDF with it. There's a good chance it will be a mildly painful experience, but could lead to better understanding to help you better create and train on accessible content.
Build accessibility into your process. Every time someone on your team creates content moving forward, they should be thinking about accessibility. Is this PDF necessary, or could or should this be an HTML page? Does this image need descriptive alt text? Did we caption and transcript this video? Is this form properly labeled? Make it part of the checklist, not an afterthought.
Get help where you need it. If your content management system provider offers accessibility tools, use them. If you need training for your staff, invest in it. If you need outside expertise to tackle the bigger technical challenges, bring someone in. This is not the place to cut corners.
If you're reading this and feeling overwhelmed, take a breath.
I'll say this again, too: you don't have to solve everything today. You just need to take the first step.
This work matters. It matters to the families in your community who have been navigating barriers you might not have even realized existed. It matters to the students who deserve equal access to information about their education and equal access to the education itself. And it matters because when we say our schools are for everyone, we need to mean it … in practice, not just in principle.
And it's big work. It's going to require coordination, resources, training, and sustained effort, but I promise, you can do it, and it will be worth it, because digital accessibility is not simply a legal requirement; how you approach it is a reflection of your district's values.