Behavior Supports and BIPs in Louisiana
How do behavior supports work in a Louisiana IEP?
Louisiana requires IEP teams to address behavior proactively when a student's behavior impedes their learning or the learning of others (Bulletin 1706, §324(A)). The IEP team must consider positive behavioral interventions, supports, and strategies (PBIS) as a special factor during IEP development. If appropriate, the team must implement a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) based on a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA). A FBA is explicitly required when a student's behavior results in a disciplinary change of placement; the LEA must conduct or review the FBA and implement or revise the BIP (Bulletin 1706, §530). After three incidents of seclusion or physical restraint in one school year, the special education teacher must convene an IEP meeting to review and revise the student's BIP (La. R.S. 17:416.21(E)). Louisiana Bulletin 1508, §1105 also addresses FBA procedures as part of reevaluation when behavior is a concern. Louisiana LDOE provides an FBA one-pager for practitioners.
What Louisiana Requires
The IEP team must consider positive behavioral interventions and supports when a student's behavior impedes learning; if appropriate, a BIP must be developed based on an FBA (Bulletin 1706, §324(A)).
Bulletin 1706, §324(A)
When a student's behavior results in a disciplinary change of placement, the LEA must conduct a FBA and implement or revise a BIP (Bulletin 1706, §530; Bulletin 1508, §1105).
Bulletin 1706, §530; Bulletin 1508, §1105
After three incidents of seclusion or physical restraint in one school year, the IEP team must convene and review/revise the student's BIP (La. R.S. 17:416.21(E)).
La. R.S. 17:416.21(E)
FBA and BIP procedures during reevaluation are addressed in Bulletin 1508, §1105, when behavior concerns are a factor in educational performance.
Bulletin 1508, §1105
Key Timelines
FBA must be conducted within 10 school days of a disciplinary change of placement (Bulletin 1706, §530; 34 CFR 300.530(d)).
BIP review IEP meeting must be convened after the third seclusion/restraint incident in a school year (La. R.S. 17:416.21(E)).
Behavioral considerations must be addressed at each annual IEP review (Bulletin 1706, §324(B)).
Sources
Related IEP Guides
FBA and Behavior Plans: A Parent's Complete Guide
Learn what an FBA is, how to read a BIP, what makes a good behavior plan vs. a bad one, and when to push back on your child's behavior supports.
Your Child Isn't Misbehaving — They're in Fight or Flight
Learn why aggression in children with disabilities is often a stress response, not defiance — and what the IEP should include to actually help.
Color Cards, Point Sheets, and Daily Reports: Understanding Your Child's Behavior Tracking System
Color card systems and behavior charts: what they measure, what they miss, and the right questions to ask when data connects to your child's IEP.