FBA and BIP at School: A Parent’s Guide

FBA or BIP: what is the difference?

Your part: add what the school may not see. Bring your child’s strengths, their perspective, your observations and the questions that remain unanswered. You do not have to conduct the assessment or decide the reason for a behavior. ED guidance, pages 5–10

These are school-support processes, not a reason to reduce your child to a label. Ask for descriptions of what someone actually saw or heard rather than words such as “defiant” without an explanation. ED guidance, page 5

For a child with an IEP whose behavior interferes with their learning or others’ learning, IDEA requires the team to consider positive behavioral interventions, supports and other strategies. That rule does not make an FBA or BIP automatic for every child with an IEP. 34 CFR 300.324(a)(2)(i)

Start with the first conversation

Whether the school suggested an FBA or you are raising the concern, ask for a conversation about the specific difficulty—not just “behavior.”

1. Name the specific difficulty. What is happening, where and how often? How is it affecting participation or learning? Ask about the times the day goes better, too.
2. Ask who will do the work. Who will observe, speak with your child and family, and review the information? What training and experience do they bring to this student’s needs?
3. Clarify the next steps. What information will be gathered, what consent applies, when will you discuss the findings, and who is your contact?
4. Ask about support now. What can the school put in place while the team gathers information? How will you hear about concerns and what helped?

If someone is in immediate danger, get emergency help now—do not wait for an assessment. For safety concerns at school, ask what the school is doing today to keep everyone safe.

This is a starting point for a conversation, not a form that guarantees an assessment or a particular service. If the school refuses your request for an IDEA evaluation, ask for prior written notice explaining why (see Check what happens after the meeting). If you need the broader evaluation pathway, use the IEP guide for parents.

What am I being asked to consent to?

The purpose of the FBA matters. The U.S. Department of Education’s guidance describes these consent situations:

• Part of an evaluation. ED says parental consent is required when an FBA is part of an IDEA initial evaluation or reevaluation, or is used with other information as that evaluation. ED guidance, pages 12–13
• Under IDEA’s discipline rules. IDEA calls for an FBA in certain discipline situations. ED says parental consent is required before an FBA conducted under those rules. ED guidance, pages 12–13 · 34 CFR 300.530(d) and (f)
• Instructional screening or reviewing existing data. IDEA does not require consent for instructional screening or for reviewing existing data—including an existing-data review within an evaluation or reevaluation. This is different from conducting a new FBA as an evaluation assessment. ED guidance, pages 11 and 14 · 34 CFR 300.300(d)(1) · 300.302

State rules may require consent for additional activities. A separate federal student-privacy law may require consent or an opportunity to opt out for some assessments. Court decisions may also affect which rules apply where you live. Ask the school which process it is using and which requirements apply before deciding what to sign. IDEA consent rules · ED guidance, notes 48 and 63

An FBA must not be used to delay or deny an evaluation when a disability is suspected. ED guidance, page 2

If the FBA follows a suspension or other removal, more rules apply, and this guide cannot tell you whether the removal was lawful. Find a Parent Training and Information Center in your state through the Parent Center Hub directory, and ask for help reviewing the school’s written notice and your procedural safeguards.

What can I bring without doing an FBA myself?

Bring a few concrete examples, not a perfect record. Keep the difference between what you observed and what you wonder visible.

These are hypothetical observation examples, not conclusions about the reason for behavior or recommended interventions.

The Free Behavior Tracker offers an existing place to organize your notes. It is not an FBA or BIP. Use the pages that help, and keep completed records somewhere you control. Do not send a child’s records to SNSC or post them in public groups or comments.

If home and school look different, say so. Ask the team to compare the settings rather than deciding that one account cancels out the other.

Review the BIP: can someone follow it?

Before leaving the meeting, try reading the proposed plan as if you were a staff member seeing it for the first time. Use the questions below to find the parts that need clarification.

• The need: “Which finding from the assessment does this part address?”
• Prevention: “What will adults change before the difficult part of the day?”
• Teaching: “What skill will my child be taught, and how will they practice it?”
• Recognition: “How will adults notice and acknowledge when my child uses the new skill?”
• The adult response: “What will staff do when my child needs help?”
• Responsibility: “Who carries this out in class, at lunch, during transitions and with a substitute?”
• Support for staff: “How will everyone learn the plan?”
• Progress: “What information will we review, who collects it and when will we meet again?”

A plan should explain more than what the child is expected to stop doing. Ask where adult actions, access to learning and the child’s communication needs appear. These review questions reflect the plan areas described in ED’s guidance, page 7; they are not a scoring tool or a substitute for the team’s assessment.

If the BIP is part of the IEP, the school must make the IEP accessible to each teacher and provider responsible for implementing it and tell them their specific responsibilities. 34 CFR 300.323(d)

If support is part of the IEP, ask where it is written. IEP service details must include the projected start date and anticipated frequency, location and duration. 34 CFR 300.320(a)(7)

Check what happens after the meeting

Write down four things before the conversation ends:

• What starts: the agreed support and where it is documented.
• Who follows through: the school contact and the people carrying out the plan.
• What you will hear: how and when progress information will be shared.
• When you will review: the next check-in and how to raise a concern sooner.

If the plan is not helping, ask two separate questions: “Was it used as written?” and “What does the information show about whether it meets the need?” Bring specific examples rather than trying to solve the whole plan in one email.

IDEA requires IEP review at least annually and revision as appropriate, including for a lack of expected progress. You can raise a concern before the annual meeting. 34 CFR 300.324(b)

IDEA requires prior written notice a reasonable time before a school proposes or refuses to initiate or change identification, evaluation, educational placement or the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Ask for that notice and the information behind the decision. 34 CFR 300.503

For a support that is already written into the IEP but is not happening, go to School Not Following the IEP.

Common questions

Keep one useful record

Choose the question you most need answered and bring one example that shows why it matters. You do not need to arrive with a completed assessment.

Get the Free Behavior Tracker

Related guidance

• IEP guide for parents — Understand the broader evaluation, plan and parent-rights process.
• What to say at an IEP meeting — Find words for a question, pause or disagreement.
• School not following the IEP — Organize a specific gap between the plan and what is happening.

Sources and limits

This guide describes U.S. federal IDEA processes in public school systems and general school-based FBA/BIP practice. State requirements can add protections. It is educational information, not an assessment, diagnosis, treatment plan or advice about your child’s legal situation. It does not cover discipline procedures in full.

Sources checked October 22, 2026:

• U.S. Department of Education, Using Functional Behavioral Assessments to Create Supportive Learning Environments, November 2024. Nonbinding federal guidance, not a new regulation. ED PDF · Government Publishing Office archive copy. The archive may not reflect current policy; use ED’s page for current availability.
• 34 CFR 300.300 — Parental consent and 300.302 — Instructional screening.
• 34 CFR 300.321 — IEP team, 300.323 — IEP accessibility and staff responsibilities, and 300.530 — Discipline authority.
• 34 CFR 300.320 — IEP content, 300.324 — IEP development and review, and 300.503 — Prior written notice.

• Parent Center Hub — Find Your Parent Center.

Found an error or an official source that has changed? Email support@specialneedssupportcircle.org with the page link and the passage to check. Please leave out names, school records and other private details about a child.