Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network Intensive Interagency, Homebound Instruction and Instruction Conducted in the Home December, Western Region IUs Jeannine H. Brinkley, Western Region Interagency Coordinator PaTTAN

PaTTAN’s Mission The Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network is an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Education working in partnership with families and local education agencies to support programs and services to improve student learning and achievement.

PDE’s Commitment to Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Our goal for each child is to ensure IEP teams begin with the general education setting with the use of supplementary aids and services before considering a more restrictive environment.

Learner outcomes Define Intensive Interagency (Cordero) Basic Education Circular on Intensive Interagency Facilitated Self Assessment Item #20, for cyclical monitoring Define Homebound Instruction Define Instruction Conducted in the Home Basic Education Circular and Penn Link; requirement of reporting students receiving Special Education

Intensive Interagency Initiative Pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. §1401, et seq., and the litigation known as Cordero v. Commonwealth, the Department has developed a system for providing intensive interagency coordination to students with disabilities whose school districts have determined that they cannot be appropriately educated in a public educational setting and… Have waited more than 30 days for the provision of an appropriate educational placement. This system is also aimed at providing assistance to students who are at substantial risk of waiting more than 30 days for an appropriate educational placement.

PDE website Please see the Basic Education Circulars (BECs)entitled located on PDE website. /basic_education_circulars/7497 Interagency Coordination 20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(12)

Basic Education Circulars

Local Level Coordination The system of intensive interagency coordination is not intended to replace the local interagency process. In the vast majority of situations requiring interagency efforts, local IEP and Interagency teams do not require additional assistance to assure the provision of appropriate educational programs and placements for the students they serve.

IU and PaTTAN Technical Assistance IU Consultants and PaTTAN regional consultants collaborate with other child-serving agencies to provide intensive interagency coordination to students with disabilities that… School Districts have determined that they cannot be appropriately educated in a public educational setting and who have waited more than 30 days for the provision of an appropriate educational placement.

What does Technical Assistance require? Directly support collaboration between educators and other child-serving agencies in partnership with families Problem solve service delivery issues Facilitate team meetings Provide information and at the local level re: relevant child serving agencies

What Intensive Interagency is NOT: If there is a dispute about the appropriateness of the student’s program or placement, this dispute must be resolved through mediation and/ or due process hearing procedures.mediation and/ or due process hearing procedures Program and/or placement disputes cannot be resolved through intensive interagency coordination.

School District Responsibility The Department requires school districts to submit an initial report for students: (1) whose districts have determined that they cannot currently be served in the public educational setting; and (2) who have waited more than 30 days for the provision of an appropriate educational placement (or are at substantial risk of waiting more than 30 days for a placement). These reports must be filed within 5 days of initial identification of these students and must be updated on a continuous basis until an appropriate placement is provided.

Compliance Monitoring and Facilitated Self Assessment #20 Facilitated Self Assessment (FSA) #20 (Intensive Interagency Approach) LEA ensures that they are familiar with: –Interagency –Child and Adolescent Service System Program, (CASSP) (county level) –Homebound/Instruction in the Home Reporting

Homebound Instruction – 24 PS (a) Pa Code Title “Homebound instruction is a temporary excusal from compulsory education laws for mental, physical or other urgent reasons. ”

Homebound Instruction The LEA… “may provide students temporarily excused under this section with homebound instruction for a period not to exceed 3 months.” PA Code Title

Homebound Instruction The LEA … “shall adopt policies that describe the instructional services that are available to students who have been excused under this section.” PA Code Title

Instruction Conducted in the Home A placement option on the continuum of alternative placements for students with disabilities who require full- time special education services and programs outside the school setting for the entire day. Placement is an individualized education program (IEP) team decision and requires issuance of a Notice of Recommended Educational Placement (NOREP).

What is the difference? Instruction Conducted in the Home A special education placement. Instruction is provided at the student’s home. Requires an IEP team decision and a signed NOREP. Homebound For any student. A temporary excusal from compulsory attendance due to a medical, physical or mental health need. Requires a doctor’s recommendation.

What Homebound and ICITH are NOT: Home Education: § (aka “home schooling”) mmunity/purdon's_statutes/7503/home_educati on_program/507313

Homebound Policy Suggestions: Best Practice Does your LEA have a school policy listing the protocol for requesting homebound? Is there an LEA developed form that physicians are to use? Is the protocol handled by the nurse’s office? Is there a “time life” for the physician’s note? If the request for excusal from school is due to a behavioral health need, does the treating physician/psychologist understand what their recommendation means? Is there a release of information available so the school team can receive updates(when permissible)

Reporting requirements: All Local Education Agencies (LEAs) must report students with disabilities placed on Homebound Instruction or Instruction in the Home to the Bureau of Special Education. BEC 34 CFR and 115

PDE website Please see the Basic Education Circulars (BECs) located on PDE website. mmunity/basic_education_circulars/ mmunity/basic_education_circulars/7497 Instruction Conducted in the Home 34 CFR and 115

Reporting Students: PENN*LINK is the official electronic mail service for the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). All of Pennsylvania's local education agencies (LEAs) subscribe to the PENN*LINK service and access their regularly, usually in the main administrative office. Membership information located on PDE website

Reporting Protocol: The PENN*LINK is titled: SUBJECT: Special Education Students Receiving Homebound Instruction or Instruction Conducted in the Home LEAs must submit both the initial and the follow-up reports electronically via the Special Education Students at Home website at: http//

PROCEDURES FOR INITIAL REPORTING LEAs should use their administrative unit number (AUN) as the user name to log into the website. The LEA’s password is identical to the one used to log into the Compliance Monitoring System at: Instructions are listed on the page.

Demonstration of website

Home Page

Maintain District Contact

Enter a New Record

Initial Record

Updating a record

Edit or Update a Record

Reports page

REVIEW: What is the difference? Instruction Conducted in the Home A special education placement. Instruction is provided at the student’s home. Requires an IEP team decision and a signed NOREP. Homebound For any student. A temporary excusal from compulsory attendance due to a medical, physical or mental health need. Requires a doctor’s recommendation.

Discussion Questions Does your district have a prescribed set of practices to guide teams in addressing students who are at risk of losing their educational placement? Do the practices support timely & effective intervention? Do the practices support the formulation of a plan that is communicated to all relevant parties? Do the practices support timely follow-up and ongoing communication? Do the practices support monitoring and revisions as necessary?

Resources (Intensive Interagency Initiative, initial and update reporting forms and contacts) ve_interagency_coordination/ (BEC on Intensive Interagency) ve_interagency_coordination/ ve_interagency_definitions_%28attachment_to_bec%29 (Intensive Interagency Definitions) ve_interagency_definitions_%28attachment_to_bec%29 ars/ ars/7497 (BEC on Homebound and Instruction Conducted in the Home) Homebound and ICITH reporting website Cordero v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Department of Education, 795F. Supp. 1352, 18 IDELR 1099 (E.D. Pa. 1992).

Contact Information Jeannine H. Brinkley Western Region Interagency Coordinator Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Tom Corbett, Governor Pennsylvania Department of Education Ronald J. Tomalis, Secretary Dr. Carolyn Dumaresq, Deputy Secretary Office of Elementary and Secondary Education John J. Tommasini, Director Bureau of Special Education Patricia Hozella, Assistant Director Bureau of Special Education