Home Hospital Program
About
The home hospital program is a temporary service for students whose physical illness prohibits their attendance at a school site for a limited duration of time. The program maintains as much instructional continuation as possible during the student's absence from the regular school site.
Any student who is approved for the home hospital program will receive individual instruction in the student's home.
Applying for the Home Hospital Program
To apply, please verify that you meet the preliminary qualifications listed on this webpage. Then, follow the next shown below––
- Complete the online application.
- Check your email to access the physician/medical referral or mental health referral form.
- Take the referral form to your physician or mental healthcare provider per the listed instructions.
- Upload the completed referral form with the online application.
- The health office team will review your submission and provide their recommendations to the coordinator of the home hospital program.
- The coordinator, school nurse, counselor, or other professional may verify if accommodations can be made as well as calling the medical provider for verification and alternative programs.
- If the request is approved, arrangements will be made for services.
Qualifying for the Home Hospital Program
To qualify for the home hospital program, the student's disability must be diagnosed, documented, and completed by a licensed medical doctor using the physician/medical referral form. All other medical personnel signatures will not be accepted. The disability must be temporary––such as resulting from an accident, physical illness, or a specific placement defined in a student's individualized education program based on a medical issue. The physician/medical referral form must indicate the length of service with a minimum of 15 school day duration and up to a maximum 90 school days. It shall expire the end of each school year or sooner.
NOTICE! A diagnosis involving a temporary mental or emotional illness requires a treating psychiatrist to complete a mental health referral form.
In addition to the diagnosis, the request must also include, but is not limited to––
- A therapeutic treatment plan.
- A statement regarding how being on a home hospital program will benefit the overall treatment of the student, rather than making adjustments in the school program.
- An educational goal.
- A limited time frame of 45 school days.
Minimum Hours of Instruction
As possible, the teacher providing home hospital program will consult with the student's current classroom teacher to provide continued instruction that enables the student to remain at pace with the regular school program.
The home and hospital services will not be provided to special education students until an IEP meeting is held and indicates the need for a change in placement/service delivery to the home hospital program. The student's administrator or administrator designee at their home school site will initiate and complete this process and forward the updated IEP to the student services department. The hour and number of days of instruction offered to the special education students will be determined by the change of placement IEP to be held at the time the student is placed on home hospital program and can be anywhere from 1 to 5 hours a week.
When it is determined the student is able to return to the school site, an IEP will be held at the home/resident school stating the change in placement/services back to their home resident school.