Program Overview

Hospital Homebound is a program within the special services department. Instruction is designed to provide a continuity of educational services for student whose medical needs prevent school attendance on campus.

Special Education Homebound

This instructional setting is for providing special education and related services to students who are served at home. The student’s ARD committee shall determine the number of services to be provided to the student in this setting. To be placed in the special education homebound instructional setting, a student aged six years or older must meet the following four criteria:

• The student is eligible for special education and related services as determined by an ARD committee.
• The student is expected to be confined at home or hospital bedside for a minimum of four weeks. The weeks need not be consecutive if the student is chronically ill.
• The student is confined at home or hospital bedside for medical or psychological reasons only.
• The student’s medical or psychological condition is documented by a physician licensed to practice in the United States.

Infants and toddlers from birth through age two may be placed in the homebound instructional setting if their Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) committees determine that placement is appropriate. Students aged three through five years may be placed in the homebound instructional setting if their ARD committees determine that placement is appropriate.

General Education Homebound

This instructional arrangement is for providing instruction to general education students who are served at home. A referral under Section 504 should be considered to determine eligibility for homebound students with a suspected disability. If the student is already eligible under Section 504, a Section 504 meeting must be held to discuss potential homebound eligibility.

Any student who is served through the general education homebound program must meet the following three criteria:

• The student is expected to be confined at home or hospital bedside for a minimum of four weeks. The weeks need not be consecutive.
• The student is confined at home or hospital bedside for medical or psychological reasons only.
• The student must have a current medical or psychological condition that is documented by a physician licensed to practice in the United States. Except in cases of medically fragile students, potential medical conditions or concerns that students may develop medical conditions do not constitute grounds for general education homebound program eligibility.

Hospital/Residential Program

Students served in this program are confined to a hospital or residential facility within the Dallas ISD geographical attendance area. Instruction is provided in the core subjects in which they were previously enrolled at their sending campus.

Any student needing instruction provided in this setting will be enrolled via the following enrollment process:

• Parents/guardians complete the Dallas ISD enrollment documents during the onsite hospital/facility intake process.
• The hospital/residential facility will submit enrollment documents via the hospitalresidential@dallasisd.org email box.
• Once received, the hospital homebound registrar will enroll students in the Dallas ISD Elementary or Secondary Hospital Classroom.
• After enrollment, the counselor will complete the scheduling process for students to start receiving instruction.

Residential Facilities Monitoring

Local education agencies (LEAs) serving students with disabilities residing in residential facilities (RFs) located within the LEA's geographic boundaries and/or jurisdictions are subject to the RF monitoring system. The RFM system has been established to improve performance and compliance with federal and state special education requirements for a unique and vulnerable population of students who often have limited access to family members who can advocate for their educational needs. Dallas ISD is required to provide notice to the educational decision maker and caseworker regarding events that may significantly impact the education of a foster care student. As such, the local education agency (LEA) must take steps to ensure parent participation in the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) process and have afforded the opportunity for it. In the event the parent(s) of a child eligible for special education services are not known, the child is a ward of the State or the child is an unaccompanied homeless youth, the LEA must determine whether or not a surrogate parent is warranted.

Surrogate Parents

IDEA requires that state and local education agencies involve parents in decisions about their child’s needs. In situations where the child is a ward of the state, has no parents, or no parents can be located, a surrogate parent must be appointed to represent the child and protect the child’s rights in matters relating to identification, evaluation, and educational placements in special education.

Who is not eligible to be a surrogate parent?

• A school district employee or any agency involved in care or education of the child, such as DFPS, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, a school, or a Residential Treatment Center
• Any person with personal or professional interests that conflict with the interests of the student

Steps to becoming a Surrogate Parent in Dallas ISD:

The information for becoming a vendor is on the Dallas ISD web page. Steps to get to the instructions are listed below.

1. Go to Departments
2. Procurement Services
3. Click the Supplier Opportunities (yellow) box
4. Click on Welcome to isupplier
5. Click on New Supplier
6. When you click on the Quick Reference Card you will see the isupplier URL link to the application
7. Once vendor account is active, vendor will contact SPED Department at 972-581-4548, to complete the process.

Surrogate and Foster Parent Training

How to Register for Surrogate & Foster Parent Region 10 Online Training Modules