Home/Hospital Instruction is a flexible and inclusive program designed to meet the needs of students who range from the level of Alternate Assessment to Advanced Placement (AP). Per the NYS Commissioner's Regulations, Home/Hospital Instruction provides continuity of academic instruction in core subjects to students who are homebound or are unable to attend school usually for reasons of disability, discipline, injury, or physical, mental or emotional illness as substantiated by a licensed physician.

Home/Hospital Instruction services a diverse population that includes: Special Education, multiply disabled, Alternate Assessment, students with social-emotional or mental health needs, medically fragile, medically compromised, autistic, Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE), homeless, refugees, English Language Learners (ELL), bilingual students, and young mothers.

Home/Hospital Teachers are certified teachers who meet students one-on-one in their homes, in libraries, in community agencies, or in hospitals. Importantly, the Home/Hospital Program gives the Rochester City School District a human face, with a teacher in the living room or kitchen, providing a link among parent, student, and school.

• Home/Hospital Teachers travel to various locations to meet the academic needs of district students and sometimes those of private and/or parochial school students in the Rochester area with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
• Pregnant students comprise another group served by the Home/Hospital Program. They are typically out of school for a period of six weeks, and Home/Hospital Teachers provide instruction tailored toward a smooth transition back to their home school or program.
• Students awaiting placement in residential or day treatment programs are placed with the Home/Hospital Program, often for a period of months. Teachers delivering individualized instruction to these students enjoy the unique opportunity to address unique learning needs with intensive intervention.
• Home/Hospital communicates and coordinates with the family’s advocate inside and outside the school system. Some examples of these include care coordinators from: Arc of Monroe, VESID (Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities), ACCES-VR, Prime Care, Office of Mental Health, Hillside Services, Ibero League, OPWDD (Office for People with Developmental Disabilities), Catholic Family Services, Autism Up, and others.
• Home/Hospital is a critical component of the district’s Special Education process that provides instruction to some of the district’s most educationally and medically fragile students across all classifications. Some of our students are severely disabled and don’t have a voice, which is why we train closely with the MATCH team, Speech, and Physical Therapy to incorporate assistive communication boards, devices, and software that meet students’ specific needs so they CAN learn to speak.