Yes. Alachua county offers online options for students. You may also choose to homeschool your student. Please contact your student's school counselor for more information on these options.

Pregnancy is not considered a physical illness. Therefore, if the pregnancy is progressing normally, pregnant students are not considered eligible for services. If there are complications, the attending physician may complete a medical certificate for the student and she may then qualify for services. As with any other student, if the IEP team is not in agreement that the student would benefit from Hospital/Homebound services, she may not qualify.

Yes! Students who are emotionally ill must follow the same application procedure as those who are physically ill. In this case, the medical certificate should be completed by a psychiatrist or mental health practitioner. As with physically ill students, this program is meant to be both part time and temporary with the goal of returning students to school. At the time of the IEP meeting, there should be a plan made to return the student to a school setting as they are able.

Unfortunately, there are a number of conditions that may suppress the immune system, causing students to catch colds, viruses, and other communicable illnesses more often. We cannot offer services to students who have a contagious illness. This applies both to new students applying to the program and students who are already being served. Exposing our Hospital/Homebound teachers to such illnesses puts both our staff and the other students they serve at risk. If your student has a communicable illness, please inform their Hospital/Homebound teacher as soon as possible.

Yes, with several important considerations. If the student was promptly referred to the Hospital/Homebound program and there is no delay in obtaining medical information and arranging a staffing meeting, there will be little delay in picking up on coursework. Your student must also be willing and able to complete the assigned work, both while their Hospital/Homebound teacher is with them and when they are not. You may have to help your student complete work during the times when their Hospital/Homebound teacher is not present. This program is intended to be part time and temporary; it is not designed to take the place of schooling and cannot make up for all instruction a student may miss while they are involved in the program.

We would advise you to contact your student's school regarding absences prior to their enrollment in the Hospital/Homebound program. Doctor's notes may excuse your student's absences before they are able to begin the program. The Hospital/Homebound program is not responsible for coursework that your student may have missed before they were enrolled in the program. Please keep in touch with your student's school and collect the work they may be missing while they are absent if they cannot immediately begin Hospital/Homebound services.