PLACEMENT CHANGES:

Homebound

Definition

Student is bound to their home by a medical authority. The school nurse must be involved in these situations as there are very specific requirements that must be met for students to be homebound. 

Who Makes the Placement Decision?

A medical authority provides documentation/orders homebound. The school district reviews and considers those orders and either proposes or rejects the homebound request via PWN. 

Considerations and Next Steps

Contact the School Nurse upon receipt of homebound orders. Schedule an IEP meeting to consider physician orders and determine how, when, and by whom services will be provided. 

Regardless of a student’s educational placement, IEP teams need to determine how special education services will be delivered. Students may access special education services virtually, in person, or a combination of virtual and in-person (e.g., speech virtual but reading and DAPE in person), based on the method that best meets their needs. 

Questions to consider prior to and during the meeting:

• Was the student enrolled in distance learning or homeschool last school year? 

  • If yes, did they make progress on their IEP goals? 

  • If yes, did they pass their classes? (secondary)

  • If no, how did the student do during any remote learning time periods last year? 

• Is the student able to meaningfully participate in services virtually?

• ​​Secondary Students: Is the student on track to graduate? 

Service delivery decisions need to be made on an individual basis and based on the data available. Some services may need to be provided in-person within a mainstream building or alternate, neutral location. 

For any in-person services, try to group students as much as possible to maximize available resources and prevent the student from  having big gaps in their day. 

Amendment Paperwork

Complete amendment paperwork in alignment with procedure.

LRE Statement in IEP

The LRE, regardless of setting, always has the same three considerations: 

1. Where instruction will take place: Specialized instruction can be provided in a variety of formats, including online

2. What the student will be missing: The specific classes and activities that the student will not participate in so that they may receive their specialized instruction

3. Why this is the student’s LRE: The explanation needs to be more specific than, “Because his skills are discrepant from peers, Johnny will receive…" Thorough rationales explain the features of specialized instruction that (1) are necessary for the student and (2) cannot be reasonably offered in a less restrictive setting.

Example statement: "Due to Claire’s Severe Multiple Impairments and fragile health, Claire is not able to attend school with her peers. She needs to receive homebound services. Claire needs full assistance with all activities of Daily Living, which is provided by parents or home health nurses, that the family hired. Claire needs individualized direct adaptive functional instruction (2x/mo for 60 minutes), and Speech/Language (2x/mo for 20 minutes), along with indirect DAPE, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Vision Consultation and Physical Impairment Consultation, to help support her educational needs.  Due to receiving homebound services, Claire will not participate in any general education classes at school. This is a determination by Claire’s doctor."