FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Compliance
Q. Where will the student records be stored during while he/she is receiving H/HB services?
A. H/HB students continue to be registered at their regular school of attendance and will be “tied” to that school for accountability.
Q. What paperwork needs to be sent out to renew H/HB services?
A. The Medical Report for H/HB must be completed annually. It includes questions embedded in the State Board Rule regarding the provision of ESE services. If additional information is needed within a 12-month period to make sure that the school adequately addresses any changes with the student’s medical condition, the physician can complete the Medical Update form.
Q. The medical information received indicates H/HB services for 12 months with gradual school exposure until full time. Do we need to send a new initial medical for him for the beginning of the school year or can we continue to use the old medical?
A. You can use the medical for up to 12 months. If the team believes that more recent information is needed for planning, including the plan to transition the student back to the school setting, a Medical Update can be requested from the diagnosing physician.
Q. Does a student have to be “released” from medical care in order to be re-admitted to the school of attendance?
A. On the Medical Information form the doctor has indicated the date that the student is expected to be able to return to school. We do not require any additional medical information for students to return on or after that date.
If a student wants to return to school prior to the expected duration of treatment date, he/she must be released by the diagnosing physician through the completion of a Medical Update form. This provides documentation that the student’s medical condition will not be compromised or a threat to others on the school campus.
Q. Do we need to dismiss and determine new eligibility each year for students who have chronic conditions requiring continued H/HB services?
A. Any chronic conditions - whether intermittent, part, or full-time - should not be dismissed. The parents should be advised that a new Medical Request and a H/HB Agreement needs to be completed prior to the new school year in order for services to begin in a timely manner in the fall. For any students who do not have chronic conditions and only required homebound services for a specific duration, contact the parent and let them know that the student will be dismissed, then issue the paperwork. Talk to your school nurse if you need additional information regarding the medical/psychiatric condition.
Q. What do schools need to do this fall to resume services for my continuing H/HB students?
A. All Medical Requests received need to be verified by the School Nurse then faxed to the ESE Department (X42117) to be entered into the H/HB data base.
Each fall the School Nurse, School Based Administrator, School Counselor, and Case Manger should meet to discuss any continuing H/HB students. At that meeting the group should:
o Verify current medical documentation and parent agreements are in the cumulative files.
o Verify that H/HB services are included in the current T/IEP
o School Counselor should verify the course schedule for this school year
o Fax medical information and course schedule to Teleclass
o School Based Administrator hires HQ itinerant staff to provide instruction for all courses not available through Teleclass
o H/HB schedule form is completed and submitted to the DEO for entry
Q. If a student received full-time H/HB services the previous school year, what does the school of attendance need to do for him/her to transition back to the traditional classroom?
A. H/HB eligibility is discontinued and students will be expected to return to school if one of the following conditions is met:
a. The school has received documentation that the student has been medically released and able to attend school
OR
b. The duration of H/HB services has been met and no new Medical information has been received indicating that services should be continued.
Upon confirmation that the student may return to school, the student should receive his/her class schedule from the School Counselor and be in attendance. Attendance should be monitored and referral made to the School Attendance Committee if warranted.
Q. Is an ESE staffing still held with the parent being invited, or do we do it and have the Teleclass teacher go over the T/IEP and get permission from the parent when he makes a home visit to set things up?
A. As with all disability determinations, the evaluation team needs to convene to complete a Team Analysis of Data and a formal ESE staffing needs to be held. The parent must be invited to the staffing as well as the T/IEP development meeting. If the parent is unable to attend, any H/HB teacher, including a Teleclass teacher, may review the plan at a later date.
Q. If the T/IEP team has recommended a modified day/part-time H/HB services, is the student eligible to receive special transportation?
A. If the student requires special transportation in order to access FAPE, the school district must provide it.
Q. There are quite a few kids that are typical "roll over H/HB kids" at my school who did not return completed Medical forms over the summer. I am hoping to send out the extension letters in the fall. Is it ok to add a date in the letter that I will dismiss if I don't receive the completed paperwork?
A. Technically the student became ineligible for H/HB services and should have been discontinued/dismissed at the end of the duration listed by the doctor. Students who do not have new Medical Information submitted to the school by the Student Start Date, should be expected to be in school. Notifications of discontinuations and/or dismissal should be issued as soon as possible.
Q. If an itinerant H/HB teacher is providing compensatory time to a student who was found eligible before services were started - and these make up hours fall in the FTE window - do they count?
A. During the FTE window the school will not be able to claim more than the number of minutes reported on the T/IEP.
Q. How do we claim FTE for H/HB students?
A. H/HB students must be served during the FTE attendance window in order to claim funding. Service may not exceed the number of minutes indicated on the T/IEP.
Q. What if a student previously served H/HB does not submit new medical information and does not attend school? Are these excused absences?
A. The attendance issue and whether this would be counted as excused or unexcused, is guided by the district’s attendanceprocedures. If no medical information has been provided regarding continued H/HB need, the student is held to the same expectation as any other student, including being withdrawn for non-attendance as indicated in the Pupil Progression Plan.
Q. We have a student who has been eligible for the H/HB program since last year for a psychiatric diagnosis. Parent indicates the student is not attending school because she is being picked on by other students. Should she be dismissed from H/HB?
A. If a licensed physician has indicated that the student is confined because of a medical or psychiatric condition, we cannot discontinue H/HB services. As with any ESE student, the T/IEP team has the right to request a reevaluation to include additional medical information at no cost to the parent.
Q. If a child is still in the hospital receiving chemo treatment should we complete the H/HB paperwork or wait to sign everything when she comes home as we would have to provide services if the T/IEP goes into effect?
A, Do the staffing and T/IEP now. A copy should be provided to the hospital. We would take over services as soon the student is back home.
Q. Do students who transfer to Pasco with H/HB eligibility have to be called in to the District Office?
A. Yes. We need to add their information to our database.
Q. A full-time H/HB student received letters from both their high school and the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles regarding a hate rate of absenteeism. The DMV has indicated that if they do not get a letter from the school within 20 days stating that there is an error in the absences reported, they will not allow the student to get/keep her driver's license. Is that right?
A. No. The Data Entry Operator needs to correct the student’s attendance and notify the DMV.
Q. What are the parents legally obligated (minimum criteria) to do for the child while he is on H/HB psychiatric services(i.e. meds, counseling)? When would parent failure to comply (i.e. not take child to counseling) with H/HB services be considered "neglect"? What is an "excused" or "unexcused" absence?
A. The parents have no legal requirement to provide any treatment (counseling, meds, etc) unless it is a requirement of a court order. As a district, we would have to have significant evidence that the parent's failure to provide treatment could be considered neglect or abuse and should be brought to the attention of the courts. In most cases we are able to support parents by providing information, access, payment for services, and otherwise helping them process the importance of their actions.
"Excused" absences are those that are directly related to the medical condition that precipitates the H/HB eligibility, or any other "excused" absence as defined in our Pupil Progression Plan. We typically do not require individual doctor notes for each absence for what is a known or chronic condition. However every parent is expected to send in a note that describes the specific cause of the absence. "Unexcused" absences are a result of the parent not sending in a note, specific information not being included on the note or non-medical/family emergency absences ("vacation").
Q. How are teachers added to the H/HB teacher database?
A. Interested teachers are provided information regarding pay, timesheets, mileage, etc. The teacher submits a signed agreement that he/she understands the rules and policies related to H/HB instruction. Once completed, the teacher’s name and certification areas are added to the database at the district office.
Q. Do general education students who have to go onto H/H instruction for a short period of time, need to have the transition portion of the IEP completed?
A. There is no language in IDEA or State Board of Education rule that allows a T/IEP team to “ignore” the requirements related to students age 16 and older. However, for a not-otherwise-eligible student with a disability being served as H/HB for a short period of time, after identifying the student’s measureable postsecondary goals in the areas of employment and education, the T/IEP team would likely determine that no particular “transition related” services are needed and the T/IEP would address the typical academic goals you would expect.
Q. When should a matrix be developed for H/HB students?
A. For an ESE student receiving intermittent services, two individual matrices should be completed, one for each of the service models provided; i.e. one matrix which reflects the needs of the student and ESE services provided while being served in the school setting, and one which reflects the needs of the student and ESE services provided when the student is being served through H/HB services., even if the student would not typically need a matrix for the level of school-based services. For FTE purposes, during FTE week, whichever model is being used to serve the student at that particular time period, is the matrix which should be used for FTE reporting.
Q. Does a T/IEP team need to consider agency involvement when developed a plan for a student who is eligible for only H/HB ESE services?
A. Because the diagnosed condition is a disability of specific duration, the team can presume that transition services and/or agency involvement would not be required. If a student has an additional ESE exceptionality, transition services and agency support should be considered.
Q. When developing T/IEPs for H/HB only students do we need to include PMP goals if I student already has an existing PMP?
A. The district recommends that reference be made to the PMP in the PLEP. Dual exceptional students will need their PMP needs addressed in the TIEP.
Eligibility
Q. Do we provide H/HB services to students who are incarcerated?
A. We do not provide services to a student who is incarcerated. The facility is responsible for providing FAPE
Q. A student is being treated by multiple physicians. Who can complete the medical information required for H/HB?
A. We accept information from any doctor licensed in the state of Florida who is qualified to make a medical diagnosis.
Q. Is a pregnant student eligible for H/HB services?
A. Possibly. Rule 6A-6.03020, FAC., does not address pregnancy, childbirth, or recovery from childbirth. Pregnancy and recovery from childbirth, in and of themselves, are not considered medical conditions that meet eligibility for H/HB services unless the student experiences medical complications that meet the criteria in rule.
If the student does not have any medical complications from the pregnancy and recovery, she is ineligible to receive H/HB services.
Service Delivery
Q. How will these students be taught?
A. Students can receive instruction through itinerant staff, Pasco eSchool, FLVS, Teleclass, or any combination of these. Teleclass teachers have an established schedule and will add full-time H/HB students to their classes as often as possible; however, Teleclass is not an appropriate instructional option for all students and Teleclass does not provide a full selection of courses. If it is determined that the student will need instruction that cannot be provided through Teleclass, the School-Based Administrator is responsible for securing appropriate instruction through itinerant staff or virtual school options.