FOR OUR PARENTS
Most of the links that you will need as a parent or guardian are found on this page. Start here with any inquiries. As always, if you have any additional questions, we are here to support you.
Resources
Guidance Counselors
Our students are shared with the student's school of affiliation. Please contact the school of affiliation directly for questions about related services and questions about the school of affiliation. For other questions, your teacher should be your first line of communication. However for questions that your teacher cannot answer and cannot direct you to the correct person, please contact us. We're here to help. Call 718-794-7200 and follow the prompts for our guidance counselors.
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Parent Coordinator
The Parent Coordinators are NYC DOE employees and work with us across the five boroughs. The responsibilities of the Parent Coordinator are to encourage and promote active involvement by families in their children's education and foster a more inclusive atmosphere for families. The Parent Coordinators are advocates for you as the parent or guardian.
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Our Parent Coordinator is Shanekqua Cruz. Please get in contact with the guidance department if you need to speak with Ms. Cruz.
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After School (Per Session) Instruction
If you have a question about your child receiving instruction during after school hours, please contact our Per Session Coordinators by calling 718-794-7200 and following the prompts.
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​Mental Health Resources
Your first line of contact with respect to mental health resources are our guidance counselors.
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If your child is in imminent danger to themselves, call 911. If you are interested in additional resources for parents with respect to suicide prevention, visit the 988 Lifeline website​ or call 988.
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Chancellor's Regulations
In accordance with Sections 200.6 and 175.21 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education of the State of New York, the New York City Home Instruction School provides educational services to students who cannot be accommodated in a regular school facility because of a medical/physical condition or a severe emotional/psychological/behavioral disability and/or a medical/physical condition of the student’s child that prohibits the student’s attendance in school. This regulation does not pertain to students who are being home schooled by their parents.
Home Instruction is not available for students who cannot attend school because they have not met immunization requirements. Please contact the Office of Home Schooling if you refuse immunizations.
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Related Services
Please contact your school of affiliation directly to discuss related services.
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Contact Us
If any of your questions were not answered here, please contact our Guidance Counselors if your student meets with our teachers between 8:30 and 3:30. Please contact our Per Session Coordinators if your child attends Home Instruction during after school hours.​
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Guardian & Student Attendance Policy
Does my child need to attend school daily?
Your child needs to attend home instruction based on the schedule to which you agreed with the Home Instruction teacher. Schedules were set up based on state mandates, and deviating too far from the schedule can result in your child not getting sufficient hours.
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How do I inform your school about a doctor's appointment?
Please keep your teacher informed about any scheduled absences so that they can manage their schedules accordingly. If your child is going to be absent for an extended period, please contact your assistant principal.
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Does my child need a doctor's note?
A doctor's note is helpful for you to track valid scheduled absences.
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Can my child work asynchronously without a teacher present?​
Unfortunately, no. A teacher should provide your child with homework and work for days that they are absent. However, this is not a substitute for live instruction from a teacher.
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Parent FAQ
What students are served by Home Instruction Schools?
Home Instruction Schools serves students who live in New York City and are homebound due to illness.
I have a child who is homebound due to illness. How does my child receive instruction with Home Instruction Schools?
Download the Medically Necessary Instruction form and have a doctor or psychiatrist fill that form out. Then follow the instructions on that form to submit them to hiapply@schools.nyc.gov.
My child's duration date is approaching. What do I do?
Your first option is to ready your child to return to school. If your doctor feels that homebound instruction continues to be medically necessary, then within a month of your child's expiration date, download the Medically Necessary Instruction form again and have it filled out the same way that you filled out the form at the start. After that form has been filled out, forward that to hiapply@schools.nyc.gov as before by following the instructions on that form.
I am having issues with technology provided by the DOE. How do I get help with that?
Your home teacher may be able to provide some help, but they are not trained in technical support. It is worth asking them for help if the problem is simple. Your next line of contact should be Home Instruction, which may be able to provide some minor help as well, including login issues, password resets, and other very minor technical support. For major technical issues, your school of affiliation is your next contact. We would suggest contacting Home Instruction first, and we can direct you to your school of affiliation if that is necessary.
Who can I contact if I have additional questions?
If you have additional questions and do not know who to contact and your teacher does not have the answers, your best option is to call us at 718-794-7200 and get in contact with your guidance counselor.
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