Functional Behaviour Assessment in New Brunswick Schools

When a child's behaviour in school is creating barriers to learning — their own learning, or the safety of the classroom — the conversation eventually turns to a functional behaviour assessment. In New Brunswick, this process sits at the intersection of the school's Education Support Services team, the provincial Integrated Service Delivery model, and, increasingly, the PBIS framework being rolled out across Anglophone and Francophone schools.

Understanding how this works, who is responsible, and what leverage parents have is critical — because the system's response to challenging behaviour is often the flashpoint for some of the most serious disputes between families and school districts.

What a Functional Behaviour Assessment Involves

A functional behaviour assessment (FBA) is a structured process for identifying the function of a specific behaviour — the "why" behind it. Rather than simply reacting to incidents, an FBA attempts to understand:

• What triggers the behaviour (antecedents)
• What the behaviour looks like in observable, measurable terms
• What the child gains or avoids as a result (the function — escape, attention, sensory regulation, access to preferred items)
• What environmental factors, staffing patterns, or curriculum demands contribute

The output of an FBA is used to develop a Behaviour Intervention Plan (BIP) — a set of evidence-based strategies designed to prevent triggering conditions, teach replacement behaviours, and change how adults in the environment respond to the behaviour.

In New Brunswick, FBAs are not standalone procedures governed by a separate regulatory framework the way they are under the American IDEA statute. Instead, they happen within the broader Personalized Learning Plan process, typically initiated by the ESS team when Tier 2 interventions (targeted small-group supports) have not been sufficient.

Who Conducts Behavioural Assessments in NB

This is where the staffing crisis in New Brunswick schools directly affects behavioural support. A rigorous FBA ideally involves a school psychologist who can administer formal behavioural rating scales, conduct structured observations, and interpret results in the context of a student's cognitive and diagnostic profile.

Given the severe shortage of school psychologists in the Anglophone sector — six psychologists serving approximately 70,000 students in 2024 — comprehensive formal FBAs are often delayed or delegated to resource teachers who may not have equivalent clinical training.

Alternatively, the Integrated Service Delivery (ISD) model provides access to multidisciplinary Child and Youth Teams embedded within school communities. These teams include clinical coordinators, mental health psychologists, school social workers, and addiction counselors working across government departments (Education, Health, Social Development). An ISD referral can fast-track behavioural consultation and clinical support outside the school psychologist queue.

Referrals to ISD Child and Youth Teams can be made by parents directly, by the school's ESS team, or by a primary care physician. This is worth knowing — you don't have to wait for the school to initiate it.

PBIS: The Provincial Behaviour Framework

New Brunswick has invested significantly in Positive Behaviour Intervention Supports (PBIS) as a school-wide prevention framework. Following the 2021 Moving Forward review of Policy 322, the province launched a PBIS Incubator Schools program that grew from 10 schools in 2021 to 92 active PBIS schools in the 2025-2026 academic year.

PBIS operates on three tiers:

• Tier 1 — Universal strategies for all students: clear expectations, consistent routines, positive reinforcement
• Tier 2 — Targeted supports for students showing early signs of behavioural difficulty
• Tier 3 — Individualized, intensive supports for students with chronic or complex behaviour — this is where an FBA and a formal Behaviour Intervention Plan typically live

If your child's school is a PBIS school, ask the ESS team specifically which tier of support your child is currently receiving and what data they are tracking to measure its effectiveness. Tier 3 should involve individualized planning, not just generic strategies.

The Seclusion Room Problem

New Brunswick's Child, Youth and Senior Advocate has publicly confirmed that there is no legal authority for the use of seclusion rooms in NB schools — yet their use has been documented. Parents who discover their child has been placed in an isolated room for behavioural management often find no prior consent was sought and no documentation was provided.

If you suspect seclusion is being used with your child:

• Request a written incident log from the principal covering all behavioural incidents in the current school year
• File a formal request under the Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (RTIPPA) if records are withheld
• Contact the Office of the Child, Youth and Senior Advocate to file a complaint

This is not a minor procedural concern. The Advocate has categorized unauthorized seclusion as a violation of Policy 322, the Education Act, and the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.

What Parents Can Request

If your child's behaviour is creating problems at school and the school has not initiated any formal assessment process, you can:

1. Request in writing that the ESS team conduct a functional behaviour assessment. Send this to the school principal and copy the district ESS coordinator.
2. Request an ISD referral. You can initiate this yourself through Horizon Health Network or Vitalité Health Network depending on your region.
3. Request the school's current behaviour data. How many incidents? What were the antecedents? What strategies have been tried and for how long?
4. Review the PLP. If your child has a PLP, it should document behavioural supports. If it doesn't, or if the documented supports aren't being implemented, call an emergency PLP review meeting.

Under Section 27 of the Education Act, the classroom teacher holds primary responsibility for the educational progress of the pupil — not the Educational Assistant. If the school's strategy is to "manage" your child's behaviour by having an EA shadow them without any structured behavioural plan, that is not a functional behaviour assessment. It is reactive supervision, and it will not produce lasting improvement.

The New Brunswick IEP & Support Plan Blueprint includes specific guidance on behavioural advocacy — what to request at ESS meetings, how to initiate an ISD referral, and the exact language to use when a school is relying on removal rather than intervention.

See more Canada homeschool guides →