Ron Johnson: HHB Program Specialist

Hospital/Homebound Services (HHB) do not duplicate the comprehensive classroom experience. The intention of HHB is to keep the students as current as possible in their required courses, with the priority being the student’s health care needs. HHB services should be viewed as a temporary intervention and is not intended to replace the classroom experience.

Definition
A homebound or hospitalized student is a student who has a medically diagnosed physical or psychiatric condition which is acute or catastrophic in nature, or a chronic illness, or a repeated intermittent illness due to a persisting medical problem and which confines the student to home or hospital and restricts activities for an extended period of time. The medical diagnosis shall be made by a licensed physician. The term licensed physician, as used in this rule, is defined in Chapters 458 and 459, Florida Statutes, and is one who is qualified to assess the student's physical or psychiatric condition.

Eligibility
A student is eligible for special programs for homebound or hospitalized if the following criteria are met:

A licensed “Florida” physician must certify that the student that the student is expected to be absent from school due to a physical or psychiatric condition for at least fifteen (15) consecutive school days, or the equivalent on a block schedule, which need not run consecutively.
The student is confined to home or hospital, cannot be employed or participate in extracurricular activities.
The student will be able to participate in and benefit from an instructional program.
The student is under medical care for illness or injury which is acute, catastrophic, or chronic in nature.
Certification, by a licensed “Florida” physician, that the student can receive instructional services without endangering the health and safety of the instructor or other students with whom the instructor may come in contact.
The student is enrolled in a public school in kindergarten through twelfth grade prior to the referral for homebound or hospitalized services.
A parent, guardian or primary caregiver signs the Hospital/Homebound Parental Agreement concerning homebound or hospitalized policies and parental cooperation.

The Application for Hospital/ Homebound Instruction is required for placement in the Hospital/ Homebound program. All applicants must complete forms in person with Ron Johnson in the Exceptional Student Education Office for review. These forms will be faxed to the licensed physician who is seeing the applicant. Please allow time for the forms to be faxed back to the ESE District Office for review. Incomplete forms will be returned and no action will be initiated until the completed form is returned.

Placement
If a student is potentially eligible for the Hospital/ Homebound program, the parent MUST complete the Application for Hospital/ Homebound Instruction at the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Office. The forms can only be obtained from the ESE District Office.

Upon receipt of the completed Application for Hospital/ Homebound Instruction from the Florida licensed physician treating the applicant, the Hospital/ Homebound ESE Contact will contact the parent and student’s home school to set up a staffing and initiate all paperwork necessary for placement into the Hospital/ Homebound program. Upon completion of the staffing the appropriate Hospital/ Homebound course code will be added to the student’s schedule denoting the amount of home instruction the student will receive.

Instruction
Instruction from the HHB teacher will be provided virtually in order to ensure the safety of the student and the teacher. The Hospital/ Homebound teacher will be responsible for obtaining assignments from the student’s teacher(s). The H/H teacher will set up mutually agreed upon instruction times with the parent/ guardian. Please note that under special circumstances a session may be conducted in the home. Therefore, a “responsible adult” must be in the home at all times during the home teacher’s visit. The H/H teacher will submit completed assignments to the student’s teacher(s) to be graded each week and pick up new assignments. All grades will be given by the student’s teacher(s) of record.

The H/H teacher will submit a Hospital/ Homebound Services Log for each student to the Hospital/ Homebound contact at the ESE office at the end of each month.

Dismissal
Before a student can return to a school based program a physician must release the student. The family must have the physician of record complete a Physician’s Release of Student from Placement in Hospital/ Homebound Program and submit it to the ESE office. The form can be obtained from Ron Johnson, who is the Hospital/ Homebound contact. A formal staffing will be scheduled upon receipt of the release. This staffing is required when a Hospital/ Homebound student returns to a school-based program.

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