NewsLocal News

Actions

Driscoll Children's Hospital partners with CCISD for hospital school program

Program keeps kids on track with school work
Screen Shot 2022-04-05 at 5.34.33 PM.png
Posted at 6:29 PM, Apr 05, 2022
and last updated 2022-04-06 08:39:20-04

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Driscoll Children’s Hospital and Corpus Christi Independent School District have a school program for children who are sick. The program is based off the needs of the child and their doctor’s recommendation.

The program is called, CCISD Hospital School

Marie Soza, the school teacher at Driscoll Children's Hospital, said their purpose is to keep the students on track with their school work. She said the program teaches kids Pre-K through high school and has about 250 kids who go through the hospital school in an academic year.

“We have short-term kids, which kids are in here for appendicitis, stomach issues, and then we have our long-term kids, which we tend to be our Oncology and Nephrology kids. And so we can have them all school long and we do," said Soza.

The school accepts kids from all over south Texas.

“If they are from out of our school district and they are going to be long-term, they enroll in CCISD then. And then when they leave, they go back to their home campus," said Soza.

Delayna Giles is a student in the program. She was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma on January 4, 2022. Giles said since being in the program, her teachers at Driscoll are understanding.

“I can say my school work has gotten easier to do. Its one-on-one teaching so its easier," said Giles.

Giles mother, Dominique Rogers, said she heard about CCISD's hospital school when her daughter was admitted to Driscoll Children’s Hospital.

“They gave us two options, she could either do remote learning or do school learning. And in her case, remote learning wasn’t an option so we transferred her here," said Rogers.

Rogers said it’s been a difficult journey for her as a mom but, the teachers at Driscoll have helped her daughter have an easy transition with her school work.

“But they are also sympathetic to the situation that she is going through, and that helps out a lot," said Rogers.

“These kids are just a special part of our heart. They work hard, they're brave, they’re courageous. We cry with them, we laugh with them, its just a great place to be," said Soza.

Driscoll Children's Hospital finds out through their hospital census and from social workers and doctors who can attend the CCISD Hospital School program. The program operates just like a normal school day, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.