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Program Procedures

Cooperation among parents, physicians, and school based personnel, including administrators, guidance counselors, and teachers, helps ensure the effectiveness of the home teaching program. Responsibilities of each group are outlined below.

School-based Staff

School Administrator

1. Inform the faculty and staff of availability of home and hospital teaching for homebound and hospitalized students. Students are eligible for this service only when illness is documented to be of at least three (3) weeks duration from the time of the completed application or the student has a history of intermittent absences due to a chronic condition. The application should be processed by the IEP or Problem Solving Team, as appropriate, as soon as the team is made aware of the student's illness.

2. Talk with parents about the availability of home and hospital teaching when the student will be absent from school for a projected period of three (3) weeks or more as a result of physical or emotional problems or has a history of intermittent absences due to a chronic condition.

3. Assist designated staff in completing and forwarding all forms to the Pupil Personnel Worker for Home and Hospital Teaching once home teaching is deemed appropriate by the school team (H/H Form 4, Form 5, and current report card and Interim Alternative Setting IEP as appropriate).

4. Develop a procedure in the school for establishing a link with the Home and Hospital Teaching Program, either through the Administrator's Office or through the Guidance Office.

5. Ensure that the student is counted PRESENT for the period of time he or she receives home and hospital teaching.

6. Provide assistance when established procedures are insufficient. If further assistance is needed, contact the Pupil Personnel Worker for Home and Hospital Teaching.

7. Work with parents to ensure continued access to school sponsored activities as appropriate.

Guidance

1. Talk with parents about the availability of home and hospital teaching when it is determined that the student will be absent from school for a projected period of three (3) weeks or more as a result of physical or emotional problems or has a history of intermittent absences due to a chronic condition.

2. Assist designated staff in completing and forwarding all forms to the Pupil Personnel Worker for the Home and Hospital Teaching Program once home and hospital teaching is deemed appropriate by the school team (H/H Application / Form 4, H/H School Referral / Form 5, and current report card and Interim Alternative Setting IEP as appropriate).

3. Inform all relevant teachers that the student will be receiving home teaching (H/H Memorandum / Form 13).

4. Conduct a 30 calendar day review from the commencement of home and hospital teaching when deemed necessary. This review will be done through the School Problem Solving Team or the IEP Team, as appropriate. At this conference discuss the appropriateness of continued services as well as any additional instructional assistance that is needed for the home and hospital teacher and support services. This review may consist simply of a contact with the home and hospital teacher(s) to be sure service continues to be in place, or a review can be scheduled with the parent, home teacher(s), and/or the Pupil Personnel Worker in attendance.

5. Obtain a 60 calendar day Reverification of Service. In accordance with Section A of the State Board of Education Bylaw 13A.03.05, continuation of home and hospital teaching beyond 60-calendar days requires reverification of service need. This reverification will be the responsibility of the student's home school with assistance from the Home and Hospital Teaching Office. The reverification will be reviewed by the IEP or Problem Solving Team for appropriateness, and when found appropriate, forwarded to the Home and Hospital Teaching Office.

6. Inform home and hospital teacher(s) of any 60-calendar day reviews, School Problem Solving/IEP/CEPT meetings.

7. Inform home and hospital teacher(s) of all local and State assessments that need to be administered and design a plan for this testing to be completed.

8. Ensure the student is counted PRESENT for the period of time he or she is receiving home and hospital teaching.

9. Ensure that the student who is homebound or hospitalized at the end of the marking period receives his or her report card at home.

Classroom Teachers

1. Complete H/H Memorandum / Form 13 and return to guidance office within 48 hours.

2. As stated in the H/H Form 13, please provide:

• Two copies of all necessary texts, unless student already has his or her own. A teacher's edition would be greatly appreciated.
• A brief list of units/chapters/assessments you would like your student to complete (not necessarily daily lesson plans).
• Two copies of handouts/worksheets you would like your student to complete.

3. For open communication please:

• Return phone calls or e-mails initiated by the home and hospital teacher(s).
• Provide planning hours, e-mail address, and/or your home phone number.
• Meet with home and hospital teacher(s) as requested.
• Assist in making modifications to the curriculum required by the student's homebound situation.

4. Ensure the home and hospital teacher(s) grades are averaged proportionately with classroom grades and placed on report card. These grades are considered to be final grades.

School Psychologist

For students who are applying for Home and Hospital teaching for a diagnosed emotional or behavioral condition the school psychologist should:

• Assist in developing a Transition Plan.
• Communicate with referring physician/therapist as deemed necessary.
• Review Application and Transition Plan and sign application to indicate approval of the plan.
• Participate in ongoing reviews of Home and Hospital Teaching.

Special Education Case Manager

For students who have an existing IEP, the student's special education case manager should:

• Schedule an IEP Team meeting to develop an Interim Alternative Setting IEP.
• Develop an Interim Alternative Setting IEP and review with the Home and Hospital Teacher.
• Schedule IEP Team meetings to monitor and review the Interim Alternative Setting IEP.

Home and Hospital Teaching Staff

Pupil Personnel Worker

It is the responsibility of the Pupil Personnel Worker for Home and Hospital Teaching to coordinate the home teaching program for all Howard County students who are receiving instruction either within the county or outside the jurisdiction. Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

1. Reviewing Referrals - All referrals are reviewed to determine the type of home teaching program most appropriate for the student. Special needs of the students are considered along with any specific recommendations from the physician, the parent, or school personnel.

2. Hiring and providing in-service opportunities for home teachers.

3. Assigning Teachers - Teachers are assigned to students on the basis of qualifications and availability.

4. Planning Course Offerings - Most core courses in grades K-12 offered through Howard County Public Schools can be taught in a one-to-one teaching setting if the subject is compatible with a home and hospital environment and ample materials are available. Emphasis is placed on providing instruction for English, social studies, science, and math. Electives are reviewed on a case-by case basis.

5. Problem solving around eligibility issues, transition plans, partial home teaching, and other special requests.

6. Coordinating administration of Howard County assessments when the student cannot return to school for them.

Home and Hospital Teacher

It is the responsibility of the home teacher to instruct students on an individual basis in a home, hospital or community setting in a variety of subject areas for the period of time a referred student is out of school. Home and Hospital teachers act as the liaison among the students, parents, and the home schools to help students remain current with their regular classes.

Collaboration between classroom teachers and home teachers is essential. Modification of the student's regular curriculum, such as quantity and depth of work, may be required depending upon the nature of the physical disability, emotional impairment, time factors, and/or environmental circumstances.

1. Planning with school-based personnel - Each home teacher maintains contact with the home school counselor and the student's teachers. The home teacher is to utilize materials and an overall plan of the units, topics, and skills to be covered during the home teaching period. The degree of success is dependent upon the cooperation between the classroom teacher(s) and the Home and Hospital teacher.

2. Providing the teaching program - The responsibility for teaching belongs to the home teacher assigned to the student. Curriculum modifications may be necessary to adjust to the disability of the student or to meet the needs of an Interim Alternative Setting IEP.

3. Grading - The home teacher submits a grade report to the school at the end of each quarter or upon completion of the assignment. The student should receive a standard Howard County report card from the local school incorporating the grades from the Home and Hospital report card on a time-weighted basis. For students on the chronically ill program who have frequent but intermittent absences, the grades will be determined by the regular classroom teachers (see grading policies 2060 and 2122).

4. Informing the home school guidance office and the Home and Hospital Office when the student returns to school.

5. Informing the registrar/data clerk of the student's grades as soon as the student is released.

6. Immediately submitting the grade report form and returning books and materials to the guidance office, front office, or classroom teacher.

Parents

The Howard County Public School System sponsors a Home and Hospital Teaching Program for Howard County students who cannot attend school for physical or emotional reasons, certified by a physician or a licensed psychologist. There must be a predicted absence from school (a minimum of three weeks) or the student must have a chronic health problem which causes absences from school in excess of 20 percent of the time to make this program feasible.

Access to this program is through your child's home school. The process is as follows:

1. Obtain an Application for Home/Hospital Teaching/Form 4 from your home school principal or designee which you and your physician, psychiatrist, or certified psychologist will complete. (For students with behavioral/emotional concerns, the application will include a Transition Plan.)

2. Return the completed form(s) to your child's principal or designee for review. School staff will review and sign the referral, develop an interim IEP, if appropriate, and forward all forms to the Home and Hospital Teaching Office.

3. The Pupil Personnel Worker for Home and Hospital Teaching will, upon receipt of these forms, assign a home teacher or several teachers appropriate to the needs of the student.

4. The Pupil Personnel Worker or the home teacher(s) will contact you to outline the program and arrange a schedule for home teaching mutually agreeable to you and the teacher(s).

Once a student is placed on the home teaching rolls and the assignment begins, you should be sure to sign the teacher(s) reimbursement form EACH TIME he or she visits and should contact this office if and when any problems arise. For the period of time your student is enrolled in the Home and Hospital Teaching Program, he or she will be counted present at the home school.

To further enhance the home and hospital teaching situation, the Home and Hospital Teaching Office asks that you, as the adult responsible for this student:

1. Provide a quiet place for the instruction to take occur.

2. Attempt to ensure that there is no interference with the instructional process (for example, phone calls, visitors, etc.).

3. Have a responsible adult (yourself, a relative, or neighbor) in the home to provide supervision during the time the home teaching occurs or assist the home teacher in finding a public building (for example, library, community hall,etc.) where the teaching can occur.

4. If a community center is chosen, provide transportation to that location.

5. Follow through on recommendations on the Transition Plan, when appropriate.

6. Inform the home teacher and the school counselor in advance if any sessions need to be cancelled. Absenteeism is noted, recorded, and averaged into the student's grade if work is not made up.

7. Assist the teacher as a liaison with the home school when appropriate.

8. Inform the home teacher when the child is prepared to return to school

9. Provide new documentation if the student remains on home instruction beyond 60-calendar days.

At the termination of the assignment, the home teacher is responsible for completing a grade report about your child which is sent to the Home and Hospital Teaching Office with a copy to the school. If the home teaching time has been sufficient, grades will be awarded. These are to be averaged proportionately with grades already earned in school.

If you desire a conference or would like to discuss this placement further, please indicate this desire on the Home Teaching Application. At the end of the instructional period, complete the Parent and Student Feedback Form and mail to the Pupil Personnel Worker for Home and Hospital Teaching.

Students

The Home and Hospital Teaching Program has adopted The Howard County Public School System Code Of Conduct as its expectation for students on home teaching. The purpose of the Code of Conduct is to provide a uniform set of behavioral standards for students at all levels in all school environments. The Expected Student Behaviors listed below are fundamental to success in school, at work, and in society. In order to meet these expectations, students need the consistent support of their families and all school system personnel. Students must:

• Engage in learning activities and take school work seriously
• Take responsibility for their own behavior
• Be courteous
• Respect the personal, civil, and property rights of others
• Attend scheduled classes regularly, on time and prepared to learn
• Complete assignments on time
• Speak appropriately
• Dress appropriately
• Exhibit self-control
• Seek alternatives to verbal or physical conflicts
• Cooperate with others
• Behave ethically