#SchoolPR Insights Blog

Since this post was published, the U.S. Department of Justice has issued an Interim Final Rule extending the ADA Title II web and mobile accessibility compliance deadlines. For information on the revised schedule and what it means for your district, please read our latest update.

New federal ADA requirements for web accessibility are here. Under Title II of the ADA, districts are now required to ensure their websites and mobile apps meet WCAG 2.1, Level AA, a specific technical standard developed by the World Wide Web Consortium.

If you haven’t done so already, now’s the time to audit and act, to make sure you’re in compliance. The scope of what’s covered is broader than many leaders initially expect. Before your team gets deep into remediation, it helps to do a quick readiness check. Here’s a practical place to start.

• Audit everything your district publishes online. Your district likely has more digital content than anyone’s actively tracking—main websites, school-level sites, linked PDFs, embedded third-party tools, and mobile apps. Map it all out. WCAG 2.1, Level AA applies to any content your district provides or makes available, including platforms managed by outside vendors on your behalf.

• Check your images for alternative text. Images posted without descriptive alt text are invisible to screen readers, meaning families and community members who rely on them can’t access the information. This is one of the most common gaps on district websites and one of the easier fixes.

• Confirm your videos have accurate captions. Any video content your district publishes needs captions that are accurate and synchronized. Auto-generated captions often don’t meet the standard—they’ll need to be reviewed and corrected.

• Review your documents and forms. PDFs and online forms are frequent problem areas. Documents need to be structured for accessibility (proper heading hierarchy, readable by screen readers), and forms need to be navigable without a mouse. If a document is actively being used to access district services—an enrollment form, a student handbook—it needs to meet the standard regardless of when it was first posted.

• Verify your third-party tools are covered. Scheduling systems, payment platforms, registration tools—if your district uses them, you’re responsible for their accessibility. Don’t assume a vendor’s product is compliant. Ask for documentation.

• Know what’s exempt. There are limited exceptions. Archived content that predates your compliance date, older documents no longer in active use, and social media posts published before the deadline generally don’t need to be remediated. But the exemptions are narrow—when in doubt, it’s safer to treat content as covered.

Compliance isn’t just about managing legal exposure. It’s about making sure every family in your community can access what your district offers—information, services, and opportunities—without barriers. That’s a value most district leaders already hold. This rule simply puts a deadline on it.

If your district is working through ADA compliance, Donovan Group can help. Learn more about Digital Accessibility for Schools and how we help districts meet federal requirements while building a more inclusive communication experience for every family they serve.