ADA Title II · WCAG 2.1 AA

Accessible PDFs for K-12 school districts

Public schools are covered by the ADA Title II web rule, so the PDFs your district posts must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA: by April 26, 2027 or April 26, 2028, depending on your district’s population. Here is which date is yours, which documents to start with, and how Proof does the work and proves it.

The short answer

The Department of Justice lists public schools among the state and local government entities Title II covers, and the rule names PDFs as covered web content. Everything your district posts on or after its compliance date must meet WCAG 2.1 AA, and so must older PDFs families still use to enroll, apply or take part in a program. Properly archived files and older documents nobody uses can be exempt, though you will likely still need to provide them in an accessible form when a parent or student asks.

Deadlines

Your district’s population sets your date.

A school district is not a special district government, so its size decides its date. A city or county school district uses the population of its city or county. An independent school district uses the Census Bureau’s Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates for the district.

ADA Title II · 50,000+ peopleApr 26, 2027

Districts whose population, counted that way, is 50,000 or more

ADA Title II · smallerApr 26, 2028

Districts whose population is under 50,000

Dates as of October 2026, set by interim final rules in April and May 2026 that moved the dates and left the WCAG 2.1 AA standard and the exceptions unchanged. A lawsuit filed in May 2026 (NFB v. DOJ and HHS) asks a federal court to set aside both extensions; we update these dates when the court rules. Not legal advice.

What counts, and what’s exempt

Where to start

Fix what people use first. Sort the rest before you budget for it.

The rules ask whether anyone uses a document today to apply for, get or take part in something. If they do, it comes first. Older files nobody uses may be exempt.

Usually fix first

Enrollment and registration forms
Applications for meals, transportation and other programs
Blank health forms families fill in, such as an asthma action plan
Calendars, handbooks and current notices to families
Board meeting agendas and materials
Anything posted after your compliance date, including old files you update

Sort before you fix

Old newsletters and reports kept unchanged, for reference only, in an area clearly identified as archived
Board minutes from before your date, moved to an archive (minutes created after it don’t qualify)
Flyers for events that are over
A student’s own secured documents, such as a report card behind a parent portal login

These are working decisions to confirm with counsel, and exempt documents must still be provided in an accessible form when someone asks. Archive, keep or fix turns the exceptions into a checklist, and finding every PDF shows how to build the list to sort.

How Ockem Proof fits

Software does the fixing. Your team makes the calls.

Ockem Proof runs 42 automated fixers and re-checks each one after it runs. What is left for a person comes to your reviewer as a short decision, such as confirming reading order, approving a color change or approving AI-drafted alt text: one at the median, two at the 90th percentile (production documents, August 2026). Every certified document gets a certificate and a public verification page stating what software verified, what your organization attested, and what is not claimed.

Start here

Count the PDFs on your site

Enter your domain. We count every linked PDF, score a free sample against WCAG 2.1 AA (12 by default, up to 100 for requests we qualify) and price the job, usually within 3 business days.

Free

Try one PDF

No account: a verified email, one document per email, up to 10 pages and 50 MB. Get the remediated file and see which checks still need a person.

(opens the Ockem Proof app)Pricing

Price the backlog

One document is a PDF of up to 50 pages: $59 on its own, and less in packs. Importing and the first check are free; you are charged when a document is certified.

For procurement. We accept purchase orders at any size and send a quote document and a W-9 (ask for a quote). Inference runs on hardware we operate; no customer document content goes to a third-party model. Your documents are never sold, never shared with other customers, and not used for model training unless your workspace turns that on. See Security and procurement.

Ockem Proof is not offered for documents that contain protected health information (PHI) or student education records protected by FERPA, and Ockem does not yet sign Business Associate Agreements. This does not apply to public documents that carry no such information, such as blank forms, notices and fact sheets. Health information and student records

Common questions

Which date applies to our district?

It depends on the population the rule assigns your district, not on enrollment. A city or county school district uses its city’s or county’s population; an independent school district uses the Census Bureau’s Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Look up your number before you budget, and confirm the result with counsel.

Do PDFs on our vendors’ platforms count?

Yes. The rule covers web content you provide directly or through contractual, licensing or other arrangements, so files a vendor posts for you, such as on an agenda platform, are covered.

Does a Head Start program change anything?

If your district receives HHS funding, for example for a Head Start program, HHS’s Section 504 rule may apply too, with its own date: May 11, 2027 for recipients with 15 or more employees. The standard is the same WCAG 2.1 AA, so one plan serves both. Confirm with counsel. The HHS Section 504 rule

Can we upload documents that contain student records?

No. Ockem Proof is not offered for documents that contain protected health information (PHI) or student education records protected by FERPA, and Ockem does not yet sign Business Associate Agreements. Please do not upload such documents to Proof, including through the free trial. This does not apply to public documents that carry no such information, such as blank forms, notices and fact sheets. Security and procurement

What does it cost?

One document is a PDF of up to 50 pages: $59 on its own, and less in packs. A longer file counts as one document per 50 pages, so a 120-page PDF is three. Importing and the first check are free, and you are charged only when a document is certified. We accept purchase orders at any size. See prices and packs

We don’t have staff for the judgment calls. Can Ockem make them?

Yes. With Assured, Ockem experts complete the judgment calls, such as alt text, reading order, contrast and table decisions, and those attestations are made by our expert, not your team. It is quoted per document. Ask for an Assured quote

Start with one PDF.

Free, no account: a verified email, one document per email, up to 10 pages and 50 MB. Get the remediated file and its verification record, and see which checks still need a person.

Longer document? Request an assessment.

Try one PDF free (opens the Ockem Proof app)Count the PDFs on your site