Homebound Services Qualification:

The Camdenton School District (District) will provide general education, special education, and related services in a homebound setting, on the dates when school is ordinarily in session, for students enrolled in school whose needs cannot be appropriately met in the school setting. Upon approval of the application and determination by District personnel that the student can benefit from such a program, homebound instruction will be provided to students for the following reasons:

• Medical/Psychological
• Suspension/Expulsion of Students with IEP/504
• IEP and 504 Placement (Programmatic)

The following situations are common causes for homebound instruction, but this list is NOT exclusive:

• Student with severe immune deficiency or immune suppression
• Student receiving hospice care
• Student with medical technology and/or fragility that makes getting out of bed or being transported medically unsafe or impossible
• Student with chronic disease resulting in severe fatigue
• Student with extremely frequent medical procedures
• Complicated pregnancy that attendance at school would be harmful physically or mentally to the student
• Reasonable time period following birth of a child
• Student who suffered some sort of accident making them temporarily unable to function in their normal capacity
• Student who underwent a surgery that temporarily renders them from functioning in their normal capacity.
• Student with complicated mental illness that renders them incapable of attending school

The following situations do NOT qualify for homebound:

• Making up previous absent hours.
• Providing education to suspended students who do not have an IEP.
• Providing education to students with temporary, short-term common illnesses.

Attendance Requirements:
Students qualifying for homebound services may be counted for full attendance if the student has received a minimum of 5 hours of one-on-one instruction per week (Sunday through Saturday) by a certified teacher.

This teacher is not required to be a special education teacher, or one of the student’s regular teachers. This teacher also does not have to be certified in the specific areas of the homebound student, but the teacher must be able to assist the student in completing work in all subjects required. 

 If the instruction is below 5 hours, then the student’s attendance is only based on actual hours of instruction (4 hours of instruction = 4 hours of attendance). If the school week is a short week (less than a 5-day week) 5 hours of instruction must still be provided to count a student in full attendance for that week.

Intermittent Homebound Services:

A student who has a physician-approved medical reason that would require him/her to be provided intermittent homebound services can be counted for full attendance for the potion of the day or week that the student must be gone from school, as long as the student is receiving 5 hours of instruction by a certified teacher in any week outside of the time they are able to attend school.

Normal attendance would be taken for this portion of the day or week the student is able to be in attendance at the school. If the student is scheduled to attend school at a certain time and is absent, then that student must be counted absent. Only full time attendance can be claimed for the portion of the week the student is expected to be in school.

Homebound Procedures:

The Camdenton R-III School District will consider placing nondisabled students on homebound status on a case-by-case basis and pursuant to the following procedures:

1. The parent or guardian of a student (or the student, if emancipated) must provide a written request for homebound to the building principal or designee where the student attends. The written request must include the reason(s) for the request.
2. If the request is based on medical, psychiatric or psychological reasons, the parent, guardian or eligible student must provide a properly signed release that complies with the requirements of HIPPA that authorizes the licensed physician or psychiatrist who is currently treating the student to provide all relevant records to the District and to discuss the student’s situation and the need for homebound services with the building administrator, homebound coordinator or other relevant school personnel. This release must be provided to the District prior to any decision regarding the need for homebound services.
3. The parent, guardian or eligible student must also provide the District a medical release that complies with FERPA that authorizes the District to discuss relevant information from the student’s educational records with the currently treating physician or psychiatrist.
4. The District may ask the parent, guardian or eligible student to sign other educational or medical releases as necessary based on the reasons for the homebound request.
5. Upon receipt of the written request and relevant medical, psychiatric, psychological and other relevant information, a team consisting of the building administrator, student’s teachers, school counselor, homebound coordinator and any other relevant school personnel will review all information submitted as well as any relevant educational records. If, after conducting this review, the team determines that a referral for evaluation under the IDEA or Section 504 needs to be made, IDEA and/or 504 procedures will be instituted and the procedures in this policy will conclude unless a determination is made that the student is not eligible as a student with a disability under IDEA or Section 504. If a decision of non-eligibility is made, the team described may reconsider the request for homebound under this procedure.

1. If the team has determined that an evaluation under IDEA and/or Section 504 is NOT warranted and after review of all relevant information submitted, the team will make a decision about the need for homebound services. The building principal will be the final decision-maker. The team may also include the parent, guardian and/or eligible student, but their participation is not mandatory.
2. If the team determines the student needs homebound services, the administrator will complete the Homebound Building Request Form and develop a plan for such services on the Homebound Form for Students. This plan for services, along with the Homebound Documentation Form will be forwarded to the Homebound Coordinator.
3. The Homebound Plan Should include:

• The reason for homebound
• The anticipated length of homebound services
• The classes or areas of curriculum to be addressed during homebound
• The location of homebound services
• The number of minutes or hours per week that will be provided

      9. If homebound services are provided within the home, a parent or other adult caregiver (over 21 years of age)

           must be present during the homebound tutoring. The homebound tutor will not be required to administer

           medications or perform any other health related or medical procedure.

10. The school counselor will secure the services of a qualified homebound teacher or teachers.

11. Homebound services under this procedure will be available only during the regular school calendar and not during summer or holiday breaks.

12. The District will not provide homebound services through this procedure to nonpublic students. Nonpublic students are those students who are enrolled in private and/or parochial schools during the regular school year, or those students who are being homeschooled. This paragraph will NOT apply to students covered by IDEA, but requests for homebound services for these students must be presented to the student’s IEP team (see IEP homebound procedures below).

13. The Homebound Teacher will coordinate assignments, projects and tests with the student’s teachers. In the case of a student with an IEP, data collection information will also be provided. All completed assignments, projects, and assessments are turned in to the student’s teachers.
14. Grades and credit will be awarded by classroom teachers in consultation with homebound teacher(s).

14. The homebound student will be enrolled in and counted for attendance in the school where onsite attendance would have been in accordance with the rules adopted by DESE.
15. If the student who is designated to receive homebound services pursuant to the procedure fails to attend, participate, or otherwise cooperate with the services described in the homebound plan, the administrator may, upon review of the situation, cease homebound services. If the decision to cease homebound services is made, Missouri’s compulsory attendance laws will then apply.
16. Homebound instructors will keep a log of instructional time spent with the student and submit the log to the Homebound Coordinator monthly.

HOMEBOUND PROCEDURES FOR IDEA/504 STUDENTS:

1. The placement decision for a student receiving services pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, shall be made by the student’s individualized education program (IEP) or 504 team. The content and method of instruction as well as the plan to transition the student back to onsite services, if appropriate, shall be made in accordance with the student’s IEP or 504 plan. Other than placement and instructional decisions covered by the IEP or 504 plan, provision of homebound services will utilize the same procedures as those for students without disabilities (see above).
2. A Homebound Request Form, Homebound Documentation Form (including Section IV - completed by physician, if for medical/psychological reasons) and signed Mutual Consent for Exchange of Information must be filled out. Ensure all team members involved are completed on the Homebound Form. This will need to be completed by counselors for 504 students and by case managers for IEP students.
3. The Homebound Form, Homebound Documentation Form and signed Mutual Consent are sent to the Homebound Coordinator. He/she will then review and approve. Once approved, the contact person will be informed and they will then secure a Homebound Teacher.
4. The Homebound Teacher will coordinate assignments, projects and tests with the student’s teachers. In the case of a student with an IEP, data collection information will also be provided. All completed assignments, projects, assessments, and data collection should be turned in to the student’s teachers and/or case manager.

COMPLETION OF HOMEBOUND:

When the original determined amount of time for homebound has been reached, the team must again meet to determine if the student is able to return to school, or if homebound services need to be extended. If extension is suggested for a student with a medical condition, a Homebound Form must be completed by a doctor again, with a new amount of time set.

If the student is able to return to school, the student will resume regular attendance at his/her school building.