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Digital Content Accessibility Guidelines

The U.S. Department of Justice recently updated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This update requires public organizations to make sure their websites, mobile apps, and digital documents meet accessibility standards called WCAG 2.1 Level AA.

SCUSD must meet these requirements by April 24, 2026. This means any content shared digitally on or after that date must be accessible and compliant.

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What Does this Mean and Why Does It Matter?

Any digital content shared with students, families, or staff must be checked for accessibility, including:

  • Email attachments
  • ParentSquare posts
  • Documents uploaded to district or school websites
  • Materials posted in Google Classroom
  • Social media posts
  • YouTube videos
  • Third-party apps or vendor platforms

If we do not comply, the district could face:

  • Formal complaints
  • Government investigations
  • Lawsuits
  • Required corrective actions
  • Ongoing monitoring
  • Possible financial penalties

Most importantly, accessibility ensures that all students, families, staff, and community members can access and use our digital information.

Top Accessibility Steps

Following these steps will make most content accessible and help ensure compliance with WCAG requirements. See guides below for specific application help. 

for Documents, spreadsheets & presentations

  1. Give all documents a clear, descriptive title in File > Properties (not just the file name).
  2. Use Heading styles (H1, H2, H3) to organize your document. Do not manually bold or enlarge text to create headings.
  3. Add alt text (descriptions) to all images, charts, and graphics.
  4. Make sure text stands out clearly from the background and don’t rely only on color to share information.
  5. Keep tables simple and include a header row at the top.

Always run the built-in accessibility checker in Word, Google Docs, PowerPoint, or other programs before sharing.

When creating a PDF, use “Save As > PDF” or Adobe Acrobat’s “Create PDF” feature. Do not use Print > PDF or scan a document, as this can make it inaccessible.

For websites, ParentSquare,  & Social Media Posts

If possible, post content directly to websites, or ParentSquare instead of uploading attachments.

  1. Use Heading styles (H1, H2, H3) to organize content. Do not manually bold or enlarge text to create headings.
  2. Add alt text (descriptions) to all images, charts, and graphics or write the details of the image in the body of the text to go with the image. 
  3. Use descriptive link text (for example, “View the Bell Schedule” instead of “Click here”).
  4. Add closed captioning to all videos (built in feature on YouTube). 

Application Specific Tips & Guides

Accessibility Resources and Tools

Sharing Digital Content You Did Not Create

If you are sharing content created by someone else:

  • Do not scan a physical document as a PDF to share it digitally. 
  • Ask the creator to send it you digitally and whether it is WCAG 2.1 AA Compliant. Send staff to this webpage for tips on how to make content compliant.
  • If the content is provided by a vendor, community organization, or parent, tell them it must be accessible before you can share it digitally.

For Documents or PDFs

  • If you are unsure if it is compliant, you can alway run the content through an accessibility checker. Most programs have built-in checkers, and free third-party tools are also available. 
  • If it is not compliant, do not share it digitally. 

For Images

  • Add the details listed on the image or a description of the image to the body of the email or post. 
  • Add alt text properties to the image if possible.