Home-Hospital Instruction

Overview:

The purpose of Home-Hospital Instruction (HHI) is to help students maintain continuity of instruction during a temporary, short-term disability. Any student with a temporary, short-term disability that makes attendance in regular school or an alternative education program impossible or inadvisable must receive individual instruction provided by the student’s school district (Education Code 58206.3[b][2]). A temporary disability is a temporary physical, mental or emotional disability incurred while a pupil is enrolled in regular day classes or an alternative education program. The student will be expected to return to regular day classes or an alternative education program without special intervention pursuant to Education Code 56026 (Education Code 48206.3). Examples of temporary, short-term disabilities include, but are not limited to: broken limbs, hand injuries, or short term impairments following surgery or medical treatments.

 
Eligibility:

 
Referral Process:
Parents request the Home-Hospital Instruction (HHI) Referral Form from the Office of Educational Services at the RBUSD. The referral form must be completely filled out by the doctor in order to be considered, and must include the diagnosis and the length of time the student is anticipated to be confined. The parent must have one of two forms completed: Medical Referral Form or the Psychiatric Referral Form. The differences between the two forms will be explained to the parent at the Office of Educational Services. Many students with temporary health problems may still be able to attend regular school with modifications. The modifications are determined through planning sessions with the family, student’s physician, school nurse, and other school officials. In some cases, a temporary modification of the school schedule is sufficient to accommodate the student’s needs, and home instruction is not necessary.

Continuation of HHI services is always subject to review and requires re-verification every 25 days with a new HHI Referral Form filled out and authorized by the student’s physician.

Service Options:
An eligible student for HHI may receive 300 minutes of instruction per week by a credentialed teacher, one hour per day per week. It is the responsibility of the parent to be present in the home while the HHI teacher is present or other family adult 21 years old and over. It is also the parent responsibility to provide a quiet, appropriate learning environment for HHI instruction in the home. When the physician determines the student may return to regular school, the physician authorization must indicate the level of activity in addition to the limitations or instructions regarding the student’s care at regular school.

HHI can also be provided to a student in a hospital or other residential health facility, or under other circumstances prescribed by the California State Board of Education.

The Office of Educational Services shall notify parents at the beginning of a school term of the availability of HHI for students with a temporary, short-term disability (Education Code 48206.3[d] and 48980).