Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • December 17, 2014 FLOW Area School board revises home instruction policy by Frank J McMahon The Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School Board of Education has revised its policy for home instruction. According to the revised policy, #2412, the board of education must pro- vide instructional services to an enrolled student whether that student is a general education student in grades nine through 12, or a special education student age three to 21, when the student is confined to the home or another out-of-school set- ting due to a temporary or chronic health condition, or a need for treatment that precludes participation in their usual edu- cation setting. A parent must request home instruc- tion with a written determination from the student’s physician that documents the need for confinement at a student’s residence or other treatment setting for more than 10 consecutive school days, or 20 cumulative school days during the school year. Then the school physician must verify the need for home instruction or provide reasons for the denial, and the parent will be notified within five school days after receipt of the written determi- nation by the student’s physician. The school district will be responsible for the costs of providing instruction in the home or out-of-school setting either directly or through online services includ- ing any needed equipment, or through a contract with another board of education, educational services commission, join- ture commission, or approved clinic or agency. That instruction must be provided by the school district within five school days after the receipt of the school physician’s verification or, if verification is made prior to the student’s confinement, during the first week of the student’s confinement to the home or out-of-school setting. The policy requires home or out-of- school instruction to meet the minimum standards that are required by state law. The teacher providing the instruction must be a certified teacher, and the school district must establish a written plan for the delivery of instruction and must maintain a record of the delivery of that instructional service and the student’s progress. For a student without a disability, the home instruction must meet the Core Curriculum Content Standards and the requirements of the board of education for promotion to the next grade level. If that home instruction will exceed 60 cal- endar days, the school physician must refer the student to the Child Study Team for evaluation according to state law. For a student with disabilities, the home instruction must be consistent with the student’s Individualized Education Plan to the extent appropriate and must meet the Core Curriculum Content Standards. If that instruction exceeds 30 consecutive school days in a school year, the IEP team must convene a meeting to review and, if appropriate, revise the student’s IEP. The policy also indicates that the school board reserves the right to with- hold home instruction when the reason for the student’s confinement might expose a teacher to a health hazard or dangerous home condition; when a parent or other adult 21 years of age or older, who has been designated by the parent, is not present during the hours of instruc- tion; or when the condition of the student is such as to preclude a benefit from home instruction. The other policies adopted by the school board were #1581, victims of domestic or sexual violence leave; #3240, professional development for teachers and school leaders; and #4125, employment of support staff members. The policy employment of teaching staff members (#3125) was withdrawn from the school board’s agenda to provide time for a Policy Committee review. All the adopted policies can be seen in their entirety on the school district’s web- site www.rih.org under the forms/policies heading.