Guidance for Families about Special Education Services
Behavior and Discipline

Special Education Discipline Flowchart: Procedures and Protections (PDF)
Outlines steps taken when a student who receives special education services is suspended or expelled.

Key points to keep in mind:

• A student’s behavior should always be considered during IEP development. In the case of a student whose behavior interferes with their learning or that of others, the IEP team must consider the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports, and other strategies, to address behavior.
• A student with problem behaviors needs support to learn how to behave appropriately.
• A Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) can be conducted to analyze the student’s problem behavior (an FBA is required under certain circumstance related to discipline). An FBA helps to determine the:
  1. Purpose the behavior serves for the student (Does the behavior allow the student to avoid, escape or obtain something? Does it just feel good?)
  2. Existing “consequence” for the behavior
  3. Whether the consequence identified might actually reinforce, rather than discourage, the behavior (think outside the box).
  4. Circumstances that may increase the likelihood that the student will misbehave, if any.
• Information learned from conducting an FBA is used to inform an individualized behavioral intervention plan (BIP). A BIP is the same as a Behavioral Support Plan (BSP).
• Useful FBAs very specifically and concretely identify the information above. A “cookie cutter” FBA (simplistic assumptions made about the student’s problem behavior) is likely to result in an ineffective behavior plan.
• An effective BIP does not have to be long. What’s critical is the relevance and accuracy of information used to develop the BIP.