The Home/Hospital Program offers a variety of students an opportunity to continue their education while in transitional situations.

The Home/Hospital Program supports students that are referred for medical or mental health reasons, maternity, enrolled by CSE (the district’s Committee on Special Education) or awaiting CSE placement, as well as 504/ADA (American Disabilities Act) Supplementary Teaching/Tutoring and long-term suspension. The Home/Hospital Program services students returning to the district and students awaiting placement in residential or day treatment programs.

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.

The Home/Hospital Program’s Unique Features

• 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). Assignment duration to the program varies.
  
  
• Students with both short-term and chronic illnesses/injuries are served by Home/Hospital Teachers, who deliver instruction on a one-to-one basis, adjusting instruction to accommodate the health needs of the student.
  
  
• 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 teachers may communicate and coordinate with the family’s advocate outside the school system. Some examples of these community partners 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.
  
  
• The Home/Hospital Program 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.