Ask the school to study a behavior before it studies your child
A functional behavior assessment looks at what comes before and after a behavior, not only the behavior itself, and this letter opens that study. No diagnosis and no existing behavior plan comes first — only behavior the school can already describe. You can send it today: paste it into an email, replace what sits in brackets, and write down the day the school received it; the table below says which day starts each clock.
What the rule says
“In the case of a child whose behavior impedes the child’s learning or that of others, consider the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports, and other strategies, to address that behavior.”
34 CFR 300.324(a)(2)(i)
The team owes the pattern a plan, not a string of separate consequences.
When to send it
- The office has called about the same behavior three times this term, and the note home never changes.
- A behavior plan is already in the file but no one can say what data it was built from.
- Ask two staff members what happens right before the behavior starts and you get two different answers.
What happens after you send it
| What is being counted | By when | How it is counted |
|---|---|---|
| A decision on the request | Set by your state | No federal clock covers this step; how long the district can sit on it is a state question.34 CFR 300.503(a) |
| The assessment completes | 60 days | IDEA’s count from signed consent for a first evaluation; a reevaluation under an IEP runs on the state’s.34 CFR 300.301(c)(1) |
What the letter has to contain
One behavior, described once
Three behaviors in one paragraph produce a report about none of them well. Naming one gives the observer something to watch for.
An evaluation reaches every area tied to a suspected need, including social and emotional status. 34 CFR 300.304(c)(4)
Setting and time of day
A behavior with no place attached invites a guess about the cause. Naming the setting tells the observer where to stand.
The assessment reaches every need tied to the behavior, labeled or not. 34 CFR 300.304(c)(6)
What has not worked yet
Nobody tests a fix twice on purpose. Listing what already failed keeps the team from repeating a lost year.
The team considers positive behavioral supports whenever behavior gets in the way of learning. 34 CFR 300.324(a)(2)(i)
A written answer either way
Silence gives you nothing to appeal. A refusal on paper is a decision you can act against.
Turning down an assessment triggers the notice a district owes for any refusal. 34 CFR 300.503(a)(2)
The letter
Replace everything in brackets. The rest sends as it stands.
- To
- Your child’s school psychologist or behavior specialist, with the special education office copied
- Subject
- Please open a behavior study for [Child’s full name] in [Grade]
Dear [School Psychologist / Behavior Specialist], I am asking your team to open a functional behavior assessment for [Child’s full name], enrolled in [Grade] at [School name], on [name one behavior]. It shows up most during [setting and time — arrival, transitions, group work, the bus], and here is the pattern I have watched so far: • [Date] — [what led up to it, as best you know] • [Date] — [how staff handled it] • [Date] — [what followed for my child afterward] [Support already attempted] has not changed the pattern. Please weigh [a suspected factor — sensory load, an unmet communication need, unclear expectations] against the behavior itself while you study it. Send along the consent paperwork whenever it is ready. Should the team choose not to assess, please put that answer in a prior written notice referencing 34 CFR 300.503 and attach the reasoning behind it. [Incident reports, teacher notes, or the existing behavior plan] are available whenever you would like them. Sincerely, [Your name] [Phone number] · [Email address] [Date sent]
If no answer comes back
Count the days your state allows for a response starting the day the school opened your email.
- Write back inside the original email, so the silence sits beside the date you first sent it.
- Name the exact stage you expect the request to be at and ask who owns it now.
- Bring in the district behavior team or special education office if the school site stops answering.
A no owes you prior written notice: the decision, the reason for it, and the records behind it (34 CFR 300.503).
This is a template, not legal advice: it does not replace your state’s procedures, or advice from someone qualified to read your file.
Have the pages you are writing about read back to you, free.
The review reads every page you upload, names the wording that is vague or missing, and gives you its page number.
Review my IEP — freeFree, no card. It reads your pages and contacts no one.
Where this comes from
- Consideration of special factors (34 CFR 300.324)The words quoted above.
- Evaluation procedures (34 CFR 300.304)What the assessment covers.
- Center for Parent Information and Resources: behaviorThe FBA-to-plan pipeline.
- Prior written notice (34 CFR 300.503)What a no owes you.
Response deadlines are set state by state, and the state pages carry each number with its rule.