Home Instruction: What It Is, Why It Hurts Students With School Avoidance and How To Support Homebound Learners

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A common misconception is that home instruction is a solution for anxiety and school avoidance.  Home instruction is intended to keep the student on track with what they are missing in class while they are not able to participate in school because they are homebound.  

For medical reasons, such as a student recovering from a surgery, home instruction is a way that the school can coordinate work, and instruction, between the teacher(s) and family so that the student does not come back to school with a mountain of missing work and no idea what the class is doing.

Essentially, home instruction is coordinated teamwork that prevents academic and emotional decline while a student is out of school.  The instruction piece is ideally provided in a 1-1 setting and can be provided by the student's classroom teachers, another qualified teacher at the school or a third party service that the school uses when no teachers are available.  It is increasingly common that instruction is delivered virtually and students and teachers meet over a video call like Zoom or Google Meet.

The Specifics

Home instruction (or “homebound instruction”) is a temporary educational service provided when a student is unable to attend school due to a documented medical condition, being at an inpatient facility, out for a lengthy out-of-school suspension, or based on it being written into their IEP.

As with most school-based services, the criteria varies from school-to-school and is influenced by the district's determinations as well as state regulations and guidelines.  In general to be considered eligible for home instruction services a student must have:
  • A legitimate reason to be homebound
  • A doctor's note certifying that they are not able to attend school at this time
  • An expected return date and plan to return to school

What Home Instruction Is and Is Not

Let's go through a list of points to clear up the major sources of confusion with home instruction.  

Home instruction...
  • Does not replace full-time school attendance
  • Is designed to be temporary
  • Does not serve as an accommodation for stress, anxiety or school avoidance
  • Is designed for student's experiencing temporary impairments that constrain them to their home like a significant physical or psychological impairment making it impossible to attend school
  • Needs to be approved by the school, even if it is recommended by a doctor in a note
  • Will reinforce avoidant behavior and worsen school avoidance and anxiety

Why School Anxiety Gets Worse

Avoiding school may temporarily make a student feel better.  The decrease in demands, limited social interactions and challenges around school-based stressors all seem great at first.  The problem with a student staying at home is that their anxiety temporarily feels better, and their avoidance becomes rewarded.  This rewires the brain to make it harder and harder to return to school and face these challenges.

Think of it this way: in order to improve a medical disorder you don't just pretend it doesn't exist, you need to treat the underlying condition and find solutions.  A student who stays at home is avoiding solving the problem and it can't be treated while they are avoiding school.

So what can you do for school avoidant children?  Make a plan with your school administrators and counselor and find out what systems you can put in place to encourage your child to attend school each day and provide them access to the tools and resources they need to manage stress throughout their time there.

Gaps in Learning

While home instruction is designed to keep the student up-to-date with what is going on in the classroom, there is no replacement for being in school full-time and in-person.  For whatever reason keeps a student out of school, they may face academic gaps when they return.

While a student is out of school, they miss the opportunity to:
  • Participate in classroom discussions
  • Take part in hands-on learning
  • Work in groups
  • Learn with real-time scaffolding
  • Listen to questions from others
  • Receive anecdotal information
  • Receive feedback from their teacher

Social Isolation

While the purpose of school is for academic learning, students also develop friendships, build identity and practice the social skills that make them successful in the real world.  Extended time outside of school can impact:
  • Peer relationships
  • Sense of normalcy
  • Confidence building

Supporting the Transition Back to School

To help address the concerns like gaps in learning, social isolation and more, it is important to set up a transition meeting with the school when a child returns.  Giving the school as much notice as possible of the student's return date is very helpful in allowing them to plan for supporting that student on their first day back.

In a transition meeting, staff at the school can help a student to:
  • Identify their academic progress and needs
  • Identify causes of concern, triggers and fears to help with support strategies
  • Help the student understand the resources and help available at the school
  • Provide a safe space to talk about how they feel returning to school

Creating a Home Instruction Plan

Your Point Person

While it may vary from school-to-school, typically a school counselor is your point of contact during the home instruction process.  They typically assist in facilitating the approval process, contacting teachers and coordinating school work.  

In a world that is becoming increasingly virtual, students and teachers may directly exchange work through online portals like Google Classroom, Schoology, Blackboard, etc. and may not even need to facilitate things like copies, sending home books, etc.

Make a Plan for The Work

The communication between the counselor or case manager and teachers should encourage teachers to prioritize the essential work only.  This means identifying key standards and learning points and reducing busywork or redundant practice assignments.  The teachers should focus on the mastery of the content, and not quantity, or producing more work once the student has shown that they are successful.

Coordinating Meeting Times

It is the most helpful to keep meetings between instructors and the student consistent, whether that looks like once a week, bi-weekly, etc.  With all the family has going on at this time, it may be difficult to schedule day-by-day and match up schedules. 

Setting Expectations

The teacher will coordinate which work is covered during what session and can adjust this based on the student's progress.  They should also provide clear deadlines for when work is due, separate from the due dates and deadlines of the class.  Work should be broken into manageable chunks so that it is realistic for the student to complete or work on independently before the next meeting. 

Keeping the Connection to School

While a student may not be eligible for school activities while they are out (like clubs, activities, athletics), they can stay connected to the school by reaching out to their teacher, counselor, etc for check-ins and maintaining that line of communication.

A Gradual Return

For some students, especially those with extended absences and special circumstances that impact cognition (head injuries, etc). a plan to gradually reintegrate into the school day may best support their needs.  I typically recommend students alternate the morning classes one day, afternoon the next, and repeat half-days until they feel like they can tolerate a full school day, or are cleared by a doctor.

Other ways for students to "dip their toes" is to take breaks throughout the day and check-in with someone like a counselor, take it easy in their academically rigorous courses, or start with trying a low-stress or enjoyable class first.  

Emotional Support

As a student is transitioning back to school, the academic piece can seem like the biggest stressor but getting back into a routine, being triggered by the reaction of peers, and other factors can lead to additional stress.  If a student is coming from a mental health treatment program they may make recommendations for the school, go over strategies with the student and could even join a re-entry meeting.  Students should be monitored until they have acclimated back to school again.


Putting it All Together

If you are a counselor, case manager, administrator or other educator who helps facilitate home instruction at your school - I created a fantastic resource - Home Instruction Information & Reference Sheet that helps me when I communicate to families and to answer FAQ.  

It has become more and more common for me to receive questions regarding home instruction based on misunderstandings, a doctor's recommendations or what parents may read on the internet.  This one-page resources helps lead discussions around:
  • homebound instruction services
  • school avoidance / school refusal
  • a return to school plan
  • how to support homebound students
  • home instruction criteria
  • transitioning back to school
If you want a follow-up article diving deeper into topics like "How to Coordinate Work for Homebound Students", "Does Home Instruction Help School Avoidance?" or "Support Strategies for Students Out of School Long-Term"....just let me know in the comments below!  

Super Cool Counseling by Michelle Beech


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