Brenda Benavides, M.S. Ed. Diag.
Section 504 /Dyslexia Coordinator
Phone (956) 473-5246
Fax (956) 473-2092
bbenavid@uisd.net

Department’s Mission

The mission of the Section 504/Dyslexia Program is to ensure that all students, regardless of their disabilities, develop to their full potential and become productive members of their community. It is the goal of this program to provide disabled students with the appropriate support to empower them to achieve excellence, and to reach for the sky. With parent collaboration, dedicated campus and teacher support, and efficient and responsive coordination, we believe we can successfully pave the way so that our students can reach their dreams. We will strive towards increasing our students’ admittance and success in institutions of higher learning, and in vocational fields of their choosing.

Department’s Overview

The Section 504/Dyslexia Program Office was established to coordinate services for all our students who receive services under these two programs. Students under these programs receive individualized support so that they may take full advantage of all the educational opportunities offered by our school district. United Independent School District is comprised of 40 school campuses, which includes 27 elementary schools, 10 middle schools, and 4 high schools. To better serve the needs of our students and their families, each campus has a designated Section 504 Campus Coordinator who helps to ensure that all students who meet the criteria for services are appropriately identified and served. In addition, each campus is assigned with a teacher trained to identify dyslexia characteristics and to provide the appropriate instructional interventions relevant to all identified students.

The UISD Section 504/Dyslexia Program currently has an Itinerant Dyslexia Teacher servicing our Section 504 students identified with dyslexia characteristics who are placed in Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs by a duly constituted Section 504 Committee through a Manifestation Determination as defined by Federal and State Law. For more information you may contact UISD’s Itinerant Teacher Ms. Thelma Bustamante at (956) 473-6519, email tbustamante@unitedisd.org.

For more information

Our office is located at 4410 State Hwy 359 in Laredo, Texas 78043. You may also contact the Section 504 Assistant Christina Kaiser at (956) 473-5254, email ckaiser@uisd.net.