Guidance for Providing Support to Students In Their Homes
This guidance was developed to help school district staff meet individual student needs for in-person, in home services for students with disabilities who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP), ages birth to 21 years, while also following school and community public health efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. All school staff who provide in-person, in-home services to students on an IEP/IFSP must follow guidance in this document and have access to needed facemasks and other personal protective equipment (PPE).
Before the visit
School staff
● School staff must do a self-assessment for symptoms before entering a home.
● School staff with symptoms of COVID-19 must not visit anyone’s home. Symptoms include a fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, a new cough or a cough that gets worse, difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, a sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, muscle pain, excessive fatigue, a new severe headache, new nasal congestion or a runny nose.
● School staff must not visit anyone’s home if they recently had symptoms and got tested for COVID19 and are still waiting for results.
● School staff must not visit anyone’s home if they are told that they are a close contact of a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 and that they are to stay home (quarantine) for up to 14 days from their last contact with the person who tested positive.
● A school staff member who gets symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19 in the two days after a home visit must tell each family that they visited.
Students and families
● When scheduling a home visit and when confirming on the actual day of the visit, ask if the student or anyone living in the home has symptoms of COVID-19.
● Delay the home visit if any of the following are true:
○ If anyone living in the home has symptoms.
○ If anyone in the home has tested positive for COVID-19, has been told by their doctor or another health care provider that they have COVID-19, or is currently separated away from others in the house (isolation).
● Families must agree to tell school staff if anyone in the family gets symptoms and/or tests positive for COVID-19 in the two days following the home visit.
During the visit
● Staff providing direct support services are required to wear a face covering and face shield unless it would interfere with the services being provided/or any other personal protective equipment.
● All family members, including the student, should wear a face covering.
● Face coverings should not be placed on: anyone under age 2; anyone who has trouble breathing or is unconscious; anyone who is unable to remove the face covering without help; or anyone who cannot tolerate a face covering due to a developmental, medical, or behavioral health condition.
● Limit your movement inside the home. For example, stay in the room closest to the door instead of moving to/through other rooms.
● If possible, and as weather permits, ask if there is a safe space outdoors to meet and work with the student.
● Limit the number of people in the space as much as possible and keep a distance of at least 6 feet between school staff and other household members.
● Close contact should occur only with the student receiving services and as needed.
● Use hand sanitizer before entering and when leaving the home. Avoid using the bathroom within the home, if possible. Avoid touching things inside the home. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, mouth, or face during the visit.
● Consider leaving any materials brought into the home for services in the home, if possible
After the visit
● Dispose of any gloves, if worn; sanitize hands; and properly take off cloth face coverings.
● Do not reuse the same cloth face covering for another home visit until it has been washed prior to each processes.
● Document the date and time of the visit, along with a brief summary of your activities, in case of a contact investigation.
● Clean and disinfect any materials brought into the home before using them again in another home or in a school building
● Anything that cannot be properly disinfected between home visits should be put in a large paper bag for cleaning later or set aside for 24 hours before using again.