IHBF-R, Homebound Instruction
IHBF-R, Homebound Instruction
Homebound Services
Homebound instruction is available to students between the ages of three and twenty-one, who have not graduated from high school. These services are provided when a student cannot attend school for greater than three weeks due to a temporary illness, medical or mental health condition, or for a brief recuperative period of time after giving birth. Homebound instruction, although correlated with what the student is missing in the classroom, shall be focused on the student’s needs and what the student is capable of doing during the period away from school.
Services shall be provided by a Colorado certified teacher on an itinerant basis. The provision of special education or related services, if required by the student’s IEP or 504 plan, will be provided by or under the supervision of, qualified special education or related services providers. Homebound instruction is an extension of the Thompson R2-J School District and is a partnership among the school of attendance, the homebound instructor, and the student’s family.
Homebound Procedures
For students who will be out of school for greater than three weeks due to a temporary illness, medical or mental health condition, a parent/guardian must obtain from the student’s school of attendance a homebound application, a HIPAA- compliant release of information, and the Letter to the Health Care Provider. The application form requires a parent/guardian signature, as well as a Health Care Provider’s statement and signature. The Health Care Provider’s statement must include a diagnosis and the anticipated amount of time the student will be out of school. The completed application form and release of information must then be returned to the school of attendance for the school contact (teacher, counselor) to sign and forward to the principal to review and sign. The school of attendance will send the completed application and release to the executive director of student support services.
The same procedure is to be followed for students who will be out of school after giving birth, except that only a parent or guardian signature is required.
Upon receipt of a completed application, eligibility for homebound instruction will be determined by the executive director of student support services. Unreasonable, unsupported, or incomplete applications will be denied. Other applications will be approved unless the District offers further evaluation by a Health Care Provider of the District’s choosing without unreasonable delay and at the District’s expense. When parents/guardians cooperate with the prompt conduct of such evaluation, the child’s absences pending the evaluation will be medically excused. Upon completion of the evaluation by a Health Care Provider of the District’s choosing, the District will determine the child’s eligibility for homebound instruction, weighing the new evaluation and information or opinions provided by parents/guardians to supplement their original application. Parents/guardians may submit a new application for Homebound Instruction anytime new information becomes available.
For approved applications, homebound instruction will be assigned to the student for an express duration of time. Homebound instructors will be assigned through the student support services department. A copy of the approved application will be sent to the student’s school, and to any homebound instructor or provider delivering services to the student during the student’s convalescence.
Once assigned, the homebound instructor will immediately communicate with the school contact to arrange a time to pick up necessary information and materials to begin instruction. The parents/guardians will also be contacted by the homebound instructor to set up a mutually agreed upon schedule and location of instruction. Homebound instruction shall not be delivered inside a student’s home unless there is an adult over the age of twenty-one in the home during the entire session of instruction.
Homebound Roles and Responsibilities
Parent/Guardian
Parents/guardians should provide the child’s Health Care Provider with the Letter to the Health Care Provider along with the release of information form and the homebound application form. Parents/guardians then return the homebound application form to the home school with the first three sections completed, along with the completed release of information form.
If the District provides the student with homebound instruction, parents/guardians should provide a quiet, appropriate place where the homebound teacher and student can work without distractions. The instructional schedule should be honored, and the homebound instructor should be contacted with as much advance notice as possible if it is necessary for the student to be absent.
Parents/guardians need to provide an adult over the age of 21 to be present in the home when the homebound instructor arrives, and that individual should remain in the home until the teacher leaves.
It is important for parents/guardians to help the student with assignments between the teacher’s visits.
Parents/guardians should notify the homebound teacher of changes in the health care provider’s recommendations, as well as when their child is able to return to the home school.
School
During the course of homebound instruction, students should remain enrolled at the school of attendance and counted as present for PPOR purpose. The attendance code to be used is CON. If the student was enrolled on a full-time basis prior to receiving homebound services, the student should be considered present full-time. If the student was enrolled on a half-day schedule, attendance should be counted as half-time.
The building administrator will assume responsibility for the building contact’s acquisition of appropriate instructional materials and student assessments, and will facilitate communication between the school and homebound instructor.
The school will provide the homebound instructor access to online, virtual, or digital course work for the child’s classes, if any, textbooks (teacher edition and student copy), tests, materials, and a brief outline of objectives/assignments in each subject area. If the student receives special education services, the school will provide the homebound instructor with a copy of the IEP goals/objectives and accommodations. At the secondary level, the school is responsible to ensure that the student’s transcript reflects credit earned through homebound instruction.
Please note that a submitted application with a health care provider’s signature does not guarantee approval for homebound instruction. The school of attendance is responsible for the provision of work for the student until notified that homebound instruction has been approved.
Homebound Instructor
The homebound instructor will initiate contact and set up a conference with the building contact to discuss the educational needs of the student and to obtain materials. Expectations for communication/feedback will be agreed upon. This is particularly important at the secondary level, as earned credits will be a consideration.
Parents/guardians should be contacted to arrange instruction time and location convenient to the student, parent/guardian, and teacher. The homebound instructor will provide parents/guardians with contact information.
The homebound instructor shall submit attendance and progress reports according to the school schedule or no later than two days after the homebound instruction is discontinued. The homebound instructor will be responsible for returning completed assignments and materials to the school contact in a timely manner.
Special education and related service providers delivering services during the child’s period of convalescence shall maintain service logs. For IDEA-eligible students, special education and related service providers delivering services to the student during the child’s period of convalescence shall also gather and analyze data and report progress in accordance with the student’s IEP.
Homebound providers shall submit time sheets reflecting contact hours and mileage forms to the student support services department three days prior to the Friday before the 15th of the month. A detailed account of the subject matter covered or the assignments completed should be included on the form. The report requires signatures of the homebound instructor and the executive director of student support services. The homebound instructor’s employee identification number is also required.
If homebound instruction is provided during the state-mandated testing window, the student is coded as receiving home/hospital instruction and does not participate in the assessments.
The homebound instructor needs to notify the office of student support services when a student returns to school or when a change in services is requested. If the health care provider recommends extending time out of school, a health care provider’s note must be submitted to the executive director of student support services. It should include the reason for the extension and an anticipated date when the student will be able to return to school.
Student
Students are expected to be on time and prepared to work. Students are to be respectful and cooperative.
Revision History
- Adopted November 4, 2009
- Revised September 21, 2022