Overview and Guidelines

Medical Reasons

We have the responsibility to provide a program of instruction to students who are unable to attend class at school due to extended illness or injury. Educational services must be provided to any student who is:

1. Prevented from attending their normal school site for 15 consecutive days; or
2. Predicted to be absent from the normal school site for 15 consecutive school days according to the placing authority such as a medical doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist, judge, or other court appointed authority (written verification is needed); or
3. Health-impaired and in need of special education and predicted by the IEP team to be absent from the normal school site for 15 intermittent school days

(Minnesota Rule 3525.2325)

Homebound instruction may be provided only during the period students are absent from regular classes and must be provided by a licensed teacher. Per the Minnesota Department of Education Personnel Licensing Division, teachers who do not have a standard license and only have a short call substitute license are not eligible to work as homebound tutors unless they are reserving for the regular homebound teacher.

Once students return to attend the normal classroom or the school year ends, no further missed membership (attendance) days may be made up and claimed through homebound instruction (MARSS Manual, 2010) Once students return to school full time they cannot receive homebound instruction for any hours that they have not been scheduled during the time they were unable to attend school.

One hour of one-one homebound instruction must be provided for each membership day claimed through homebound instruction. The one hour of home bound instruction does not need to take place each day; the total hours of instruction may be one hour per day for each day the student is absent from school (MARSS Manual, 2010).

The scheduling of homebound instructors should be developed in accordance with the student’s and the instructor’s calendar. The location of the instruction is also determined by the homebound instructor and the student (and /or parents as applicable), and most often takes place at a neutral location such as the public library. Instruction may also be scheduled at the student’s home if that is acceptable to both parties.

Hospitalized Students:

Academic instruction is provided by the district where the hospital is located either through one-to-one, small group instruction, or through an educational component of the hospital program.

Non-Medical Reasons:

Students with special education needs are also sometimes placed on homebound status by their Individualized Education Program (IEP) team if the team determines it is in the student’s best interest. The student’s IEP must be modified to reflect homebound instruction. One hour of one-to-one instruction is provided for each day the student does not attend his/her regular school, unless otherwise specified by the IEP team.

Procedures

As soon as the principal, designated building homebound contact person, or the case manager becomes aware that homebound instruction is needed because of an extended illness or an IEP team decision, the following steps should be followed. Note that these steps must occur prior to the 16th day of absence:

• Complete the Request for Individual Instruction form, including the teacher/staff information. Fax it to Kristin Laughlin at the District Service Center at 952-401-5032. The form will be signed and faxed back to the school for the building records.
• Contact one of the homebound instructors from the homebound instructor pool (Unless the student’s general or special education teacher is available/willing to provide the instruction), and coordinate the services. Please provide the instructor with the following information
  • Student and parent’s name and their phone number(s).
  • Anticipated length of the homebound instruction.
  • Staff contact person and phone number/email.
  • Teacher name(s) and telephone number to discuss or obtain student’s curriculum and homework, if different than the contact person.
  • Any additional information regarding curriculum and homework pick-up drop-off etc.
• Inform the parents of the homebound instructor’s name and contact information.
• Inform the student’s teachers and the attendance office of the student’s homebound status as applicable.
• Monitor the homebound status and inform the homebound instructor/home tutor, the attendance office and Beth Erickson at the DSC, when the student returns to school or enrolls in another school.
• Instructor Information

Homebound instructors should be contacted from the homebound instructor list unless one of the student’s current regular and/or special education instructors is available to complete the homebound instruction. All homebound instructors need to have a completed file with the district, which includes a background check prior to working with the district.

Special education students will need a licensed special education instructor, for at least a portion of the instruction, as detailed in the student’s IEP. This instruction time can be divided between a licensed general and special education instructor, if needed.

Homebound instructors will be given a copy of these guidelines, in addition to some general information for payment. Timesheets for homebound instruction can be obtained from Beth Erickson and should be returned to her for processing and payment. The homebound tutoring hourly rate is defined in the current Minnetonka Teachers Association Master Agreement.