Hospital Teaching for School Age Patients

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has classes specifically for children who are in hospitals. There are approximately five hospitals in the city where you will find children between the ages of four to 18 (sometimes 19 and 20) enrolled in their hospital. The hospitals that have classes for these children are: Children's Hospital, USC Hospital, UCLA Hospital (Mattel is the children's division) UCLA (Neuro-Psychiatric division, Gateways and a couple of others located on the east side of the city.

As a substitute teacher, I have been to all of these hospital schools. The teachers at these hospitals, with some exceptions, do bedside teaching, if the child is well enough to work with. Of course, children who have just returned to their rooms after an operation are indeed in no condition to do any type of school work. However, within a few days, depending on how they are feeling, the teacher will come back to work with them.

Since hospital schools are a part of the LAUSD, teachers follow the same educational program that these students were involved in at their regular schools. For example, if a pupil is studying algebra at his/her permanent school, the hospital teacher will continue with the lesson they had at their permanent school. These children, (or patients) are assigned homework. They also receive a report card .

In order to be registered in the school program, the doctors have to sign a statement stating that these kids are able to be in the school program. Parents also have to sign a consent form. These children are required to be in the hospital at least ten school days before they can be signed up for class work.