Reporting Special Education Students

The reporting requirements for students with disabilities assigned to instruction conducted in the home by the IEP team and for students with disabilities who may be assigned to homebound instruction both are completed by using the Special Education Students at Home Reporting System (SES@Home). Districts and charter schools must use the web-based reporting system for students with disabilities.

Although homebound instruction is not a special education placement option for students with disabilities, there are occasions when a student with a disability may receive homebound instruction due to a temporary excusal from compulsory attendance in the same manner as the student's non-disabled peers. The decision of whether a student with an IEP should be on homebound instruction is recommended to be in consultation with the IEP team. 

When homebound instruction is approved locally for students with disabilities, districts and charter schools must report immediately the homebound instruction to the Department and then file a follow-up report when the temporary placement has concluded and the student has returned to school. Additionally, as indicated on the SES@Home website, districts and charter schools must document the physician's recommendation for homebound.

If, at the end of an initial three months of homebound instruction, the IEP team deems that an extension is appropriate, the request should be made via the usual method of requesting an extension via the Form PDE-4675.

If the temporary condition that precipitated the excusal from attendance for a student with disabilities results in a change in the student's need for specially designed instruction, districts and charter schools may need to reevaluate the student and /or reconvene the student's IEP team to determine whether it is necessary to revise the IEP and change the student's placement to instruction conducted in the home.

Homebound Instruction versus Instruction Conducted in the Home

• Homebound Instruction is described in 22 Pa Code § 11.25. Temporary excusals due to illness or other urgent reasons. It allows temporary excusal from attending school for urgent reasons with evidence of mental, physical or other urgent reasons. After three months, school districts, area vocational technical school, charter or independent school must receive Department approval to extend homebound instruction via submission of the Form PDE-4675 to ra-homebound@pa.gov.

• Instruction Conducted in the Home is an option on the continuum of special education placements for students with disabilities. See 34 CFR §300​.39(a)(i)​. This placement is restricted to students with disabilities who require special education services and programs conducted in the home. This educational placement is an individualized education program team decision and requires a Notice of Recommended Educational Placement/Prior Written Notice.