School reentry services for students with chronic health conditions: An examination of regional practices

Abstract

AbstractStudents experiencing chronic health difficulties represent a growing population in public schools. Given the unique challenges faced by these students including increased absences, resulting academic, and social/emotional/behavioral deficits, it is vital that schools are prepared to adequately meet their needs. One of the sometimes daunting tasks faced by these students and their families is the school reentry process, which occurs when the child returns to school following an extended period of time away. The purpose of the current study was to identify and evaluate the extent to which these services are currently being provided within school districts across a large Southeastern state. Results demonstrated that, although schools reported proficiency in the provision of formal school services, adherence to other best practices in school reentry, namely establishing multidisciplinary school reentry teams led by an appointed liaison, developing school reentry protocols and subsequent individualized reentry plans, sharing information with the student's peers, and formally assessing the student prior to or upon reentry, was lacking. Implications for schools and areas for future research are also discussed.