Immunocompromised Sophomore needs Fall Online/remote school
Hi
My son who will be a HS sophomore will be severely immunocompromised in the Fall and will need an online or remote school option for approximately 6 months. We live in Oakland. I am wondering if anyone has experience with any remote/online curriculum or public school based Home/Hospital school? My son is not a particularly motivated student but looking to keep him on track.
Thanks!
Jun 8, 2021
Parent Replies
We used Acellus Academy this past year and it worked extremely well for my son. He is not a motivated student and has some learning issues, but it was so clear and organized that he had no problems at all and got great grades. He also learned more than he did in his in-person school. They have a scholarship option (open to all) that makes it very affordable.
Hi,
There's a lot to consider when your child is immunocompromised or has a chronic illness. My daughter was in the same boat. There are lots of online schools that you can look into. However, you first have to see if your son can keep up with the curriculum. My daughter started at Vista HS which is in the West Contra Costa school district. She's meet with teachers weekly, review homework, get assignments, etc. It worked for a bit until her health needs changed and she could no longer keep up with the curriculum. At that time, she switched to home/hospital and the district sent a teacher to our home xxx hours per week. The teacher can adapt the curriculum as needed based on your child's learning abilities at that time.
To do this through the district, you need an IEP or 504 plan. The IEP is through the special ed department and a 504 is through the general education program. They are different and have different timelines and gatekeepers and parameters. If you think he'll need help for a short time (1 school year), then I suggest you look into a 504 first. As the school year just ended, it may be more difficult to apply and get assessments in place, so I encourage you to get on it before the school people take off at the end of June. The process begins when you write a formal request.
Best wishes to you and your family.
OUSD has a few different programs that can accommodate this; reach out to the Student Assignment Center. Sojourner Truth is the district's K-12 independent study program, and they also run a Home & Hospital program. There will also be a new online distance learning option for next year. The main thing to ask about, if your child is already enrolled in an OUSD school, is how the choice of program may affect his ability to return to his home school at the end of the six months if he is hoping to transition back mid-year.