Caring for those in Need

Children with Special Healthcare Needs Require Individual Health Plans in IEPs/504s

Students with special healthcare needs may need extra medical support to attend school.  Special healthcare needs could impact attendance, academic performance, or even require emergency intervention.  Children with special healthcare needs can have an Individualized Healthcare Plan (IHP) as an addendum to their IEP (Individualized Education Program) or 504 plan.

BY Lauren Agoratus, M.A. | September 2018 | Category: Education

Children with Special Healthcare Needs Require Individual Health Plans in IEPs/504s

The National Association of School Nurses has a policy statement indicating that it is the responsibility of the school nurse to develop an IHP for every student “whose healthcare needs affect or have the potential to affect safe and optimal school attendance and academic performance.”1 Parents must contribute to the IHP, in much the same way as they help develop the IEP. Parents must give written consent to implement the IHP. Specific services, up to nursing, must be documented by a healthcare provider. Some parents even create their own IHP, which is reviewed by the nurse and child study team. As with an IEP, when there are changes to the student’s health, medications, or procedures, the IHP needs to be revised.

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