When Your Child Is Hitting at School: How to Request an FBA Before They Discipline Instead of Support

Your child hit a teacher or another student at school. The school’s response might be immediate talk of discipline or suspension. But if your child is neurodivergent or disabled, that hitting might not be willful defiance—it might be dysregulation. And dysregulation requires assessment, not punishment.

Before your school reaches the 10-day discipline threshold, you can request a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). That request shifts the conversation from “How do we punish this?” to “What does this behavior tell us?” Here’s how to make that request and protect your child.

Why Hitting Doesn’t Always Mean Defiance

Your school is probably looking at the behavior. You should be looking at the function.

Hitting from disability-related dysregulation is not the same as hitting from willful aggression. Dysregulation happens when:

• A child is sensorily overwhelmed (loud classroom, hallway chaos)
• They’re emotionally dysregulated (anxiety, frustration, stress from transitions)
• They can’t communicate a need (overstimulation, confusion about a task)
• Hitting has become an escape route from a situation they don’t want to be in

When schools treat dysregulation as defiance, they punish the symptom, not the cause. Suspension won’t teach sensory management. Detention won’t help communication. That’s where the FBA comes in—it diagnoses the problem before the behavior plan attempts to fix it.

What Is a Functional Behavioral Assessment?

An FBA is not a test or a quick checklist. It’s an investigation into why the behavior happens—what function it serves. Parent Center Hub’s behavior section offers foundational information on how schools approach behavior support.

A complete FBA examines:

• Antecedents: What happens right before hitting? A transition? A task refusal? Crowded hallway?
• The behavior: What exactly happens? Duration? Who or what is targeted?
• Consequences: What happens after? Does the child escape a task? Get attention? Understanding this reveals the function—what the child gets or avoids.
• Setting and context: When and where? Always in transitions? Only in math? Only with certain adults?

The function is everything. A plan addressing the function works. A plan that ignores it is punishment with a new name.

Weak FBA: “Student hit teacher. Behavior is unacceptable. Will earn points for not hitting.”

Strong FBA: “Student hits during transitions from noisy hallway to classroom. Function: escape from sensory overload + academic task. Plan: noise-canceling headphones, reduced task load during transitions, teach replacement behavior (ask for break), monitor daily progress.”

See the difference? One punishes. One problem-solves.

When You Can Request an FBA—and Why Timing Matters

IDEA §300.530 requires schools to conduct an FBA if a child with disabilities is removed for more than 10 cumulative school days per year due to discipline. Schools often use this 10-day window to build up suspensions. But you don’t have to wait until day 11—request the FBA after the first incident if you believe the behavior is disability-related.

Understanding how discipline works in Texas schools can help you navigate these conversations with confidence.

Why? Schools stack up suspensions during that 10-day window. Once day 11 hits, the school must hold a “manifestation determination”—deciding if the behavior was caused by disability. Waiting until then puts you in reaction mode. Requesting the FBA immediately puts you in control.

Use this language in writing: “I am requesting a Functional Behavioral Assessment under IDEA §300.530(e) to assess the function of [child’s name]‘s recent behavior and identify disability-related factors. This assessment is needed before any further discipline.”

Send this request in writing—email, certified letter, or hand-deliver with a signature. Documentation protects you.

What a Strong Behavior Intervention Plan Includes

Once the FBA is complete, the school develops a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP). A strong BIP directly addresses the FBA’s findings. The IRIS Center’s BIP module provides detailed guidance on what effective behavior plans should contain.

It includes:

1. Replacement behaviors: Not “use self-control” (meaningless), but specific, teachable skills. “Raise hand and ask for a break” instead of hitting.
2. Accommodations tied to the function: If the function is sensory overload, provide headphones or movement breaks. If it’s task escape, reduce task requirements initially.
3. Prevention strategies: What can the school do to prevent hitting? Better transitions, advance warnings, movement breaks, sensory input management.
4. Monitoring: Track hitting frequency AND what happened before it—so you can see if prevention strategies work.

Ask at the ARD (Admission, Review, and Dismissal) meeting: “Does this plan address the function the FBA identified?” If the answer is vague or doesn’t match the assessment, the plan isn’t strong enough.

If your child is autistic or has ADHD, understanding the difference between meltdowns and tantrums at school can strengthen your case that hitting is disability-related behavior—which matters when the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team reviews the FBA findings. Our post on the difference between behavior plans and discipline records also helps you understand what should be in your child’s BIP versus what’s just a record of consequences.

Manifestation Determination: Your Legal Shield

Before the school can suspend your child for more than 10 cumulative days in a year, they must hold a manifestation determination meeting (IDEA §300.530(e)). The IEP team decides: “Was this behavior caused by or directly related to the child’s disability?”

If yes—common for autism, ADHD, anxiety-related behaviors—the school cannot suspend your child long-term. They must review and revise the IEP and BIP instead.

If the school says no, they can suspend them only if your child’s IEP or 504 plan isn’t being properly implemented. Even if they claim the behavior isn’t disability-related, failure to implement accommodations is their liability.

The FBA and BIP create a documented record showing the school understood the behavior was disability-related and had a plan to address it. That record protects you.

If the school wants to suspend your child for more than 10 days, you may need advocacy support. Our post on getting an advocate at your IEP meeting explains what advocates do in these situations.

Request Template

[Your name]
[Date]

To: [Principal/Special Education Director]

RE: Request for Functional Behavioral Assessment — [Student name]

Dear [Title]:

I request a Functional Behavioral Assessment for my child, [Student name], under IDEA §300.530(e).

On [date], [Student name] [hit another student / pushed a teacher / etc.]. This behavior is disability-related because [autism diagnosis / ADHD / anxiety / sensory dysregulation during transitions / etc.].

I request a comprehensive FBA examining antecedents, the behavior itself, consequences, and setting factors to identify the behavior’s function. This assessment should be completed before any further discipline is imposed.

I am available to participate and meet with the IEP team to review findings and develop a behavior support plan.

Please confirm receipt within 5 business days and provide a timeline.

Sincerely,
[Your name] | [Phone] | [Email]

Next Steps

Requesting an FBA isn’t a guarantee the school will back off. But putting it in writing creates a formal record that shifts the legal burden onto the school to assess and plan—rather than simply punish. That shift changes everything.

After the FBA and BIP are in place, monitor implementation monthly. Is hitting decreasing? Are replacement behaviors being taught? Is the plan actually happening, or is it just a document in a file? Schools write good plans all the time and then don’t implement them. Your job is ensuring your child gets the plan that was created.

If progress stalls or the BIP isn’t being followed, that’s when you request IEP revisions. And if you’re unsure whether your child’s behavior plan is strong enough or whether the school is following it, upload the IEP and BIP to AdvocateIQ for a professional review. Our analysis identifies gaps in behavior support and helps you go into the next meeting knowing exactly what needs to change.

Your child’s behavior is communication. Make sure the school listens.