Home and Hospital Instruction (HHI)

Home & Hospital Instruction (HHI) is a short-term instructional program designed to provide limited instruction to students who are unable to attend school temporarily for  health reasons.   HHI is available to students with and without IEPs.  The student remains enrolled at their school of assignment.   Applications are submitted to hhi@sfusd.edu.  The physician section should include a diagnosis, and reasons why the student is unable to attend school with appropriate supports. It should include a start and end date, of no more than 90 days.  HHI can be extended, if necessary, through an additional application.

If HHI is being requested for psychological reasons, an additional application should be submitted from a psychiatrist or licensed psychologist who is treating the student. This application is in addition to the main application.   This folder includes the forms listed below:

• Application for Home & Hospital Instruction
• Attending  Psychiatrist_Psychologist Statement
• Release of Information     
• Request for Extension  

HHI will not be approved for a student that will be home for less than 3 weeks. The school of record is responsible for coordinating curricula  for the student and ensuring continuity of educational services, while a student is receiving HHI.  All HHI services will conclude by the end of the school year.  A new application  will be required for the following year.

Students generally receive 5 hours per/week of instruction. Instructional hours, and related services if applicable, for students with IEPs are determined by the IEP team.  Most  instruction is provided remotely.

HHI is not an alternative education program.  It is designed as a temporary service, with the intent of maintaining the continuity of the student’s instructional program during a temporary disability.  HHI does not replace, over an extended period of time, the regularly required instructional program.

For more information, please refer to the Home & Hospital Instruction Handbook.

A Private Tutor may teach students. The tutor must have a valid California teaching credential for the grade level being taught, and instruction must be in the courses of study required in the public schools. Tutoring must be provided for at least three hours per day, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., and for at least 175 days per calendar year. (See CA Education Code sections 48200 and 48224.) The affidavit required of a private school is not required of a tutor.

If you are thinking that you would like the student to earn a high school diploma from a regular public school, please note that not all public schools will accept transfer credits from a tutor. Most public high schools only accept transfer credits from another accredited high school.

In California, there are several ways that parents educate their children at home: through an existing private school, through a public charter or independent study program, and in many instances by opening their own private home based school and filing the Private School Affidavit (PSA) with the California Department of Education (CDE) pursuant to Education Code 33190.

Various Charter Schools specializing in specific areas and grades are open for enrollment.  Charter schools are granted charters by the San Francisco Board of Education, but each charter school has its own application and enrollment process.  For a list of charter schools, you may call the Office of Charter Schools at (415) 355-7323.

Interdistrict Enrollment is an option if you wish to attend a public school outside of the San Francisco Unified School District.  However, the two school districts must agree to this arrangement (releasing the student from San Francisco and accepting the student at another school district).  (See Handbook Section 3.8.8)

See the full Handbook and downloadable, translated PDFs at sfusd.edu/Handbook.