PEI Behaviour Intervention Plans: What They Are and How to Get One for Your Child

If your child is having repeated behavioral incidents at school — meltdowns, outbursts, refusal, aggression, or self-harm — and the school's response is primarily reactive (calls home, suspensions, partial days), that is a sign something is missing. What should be in place is a Behaviour Intervention Plan (BIP), and in most chronic behavioral situations in PEI schools, it is not optional.

What a BIP Is (and What It Is Not)

A Behaviour Intervention Plan is a written document developed specifically for a student who exhibits persistent behavioral challenges that interfere with their learning or the safety of others in the school environment. It is the "what do we do" document — the strategic, proactive blueprint for managing that student's behavioral needs.

A BIP is not the same as a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA). An FBA is the investigation that comes first — it is the process of figuring out why the behavior is happening (the function). Is the student acting out to escape an overwhelming sensory environment? To avoid a task that exceeds their current skills? To get attention from adults or peers? To communicate a need they cannot express verbally?

The BIP comes after the FBA. It takes the hypothesis from the FBA and translates it into:

• Antecedent strategies — changes to the environment, schedule, or tasks that prevent the triggering conditions from occurring in the first place
• Teaching replacement behaviors — what the student will learn to do instead of the problematic behavior to meet the same underlying need appropriately
• De-escalation strategies — specific steps staff should take when early warning signs appear, before a situation escalates to crisis
• Crisis response procedures — what staff do when the behavior occurs despite proactive and de-escalation strategies, in ways that are safe, dignified, and documented
• Reinforcement strategies — how the student's progress using replacement behaviors will be positively supported

Who Develops the BIP in PEI

In PEI schools, the BIP is typically developed by a behaviour consultant in collaboration with the Resource Teacher, the classroom teacher, and (for students with ASD) potentially an Autism Consultant. Parent input is expected and valuable — you know your child's behavioral history, triggers, and what has worked outside of school.

The BIP should be a formal written document that becomes part of the student's IEP, not a verbal understanding among staff. If the school has told you "we have a plan" but you have never seen a written document, ask for it in writing. A BIP that is not documented is a BIP that will not survive staff changes, supply teachers, or the start of a new school year.

Signs a BIP Is Needed

A BIP should be in place when:

• The student has had three or more behavioral incidents in a semester that required formal staff intervention
• The student has been suspended or sent home early due to behavioral episodes
• A Functional Behavioral Assessment has already identified patterns and hypotheses but no written intervention plan was created
• The student's IEP includes behavioral goals but no specific support strategies for managing those behaviors in real time
• Staff are responding to behavioral incidents reactively and inconsistently — different teachers do different things, and nothing is working

What to Do If Your Child Doesn't Have a BIP

1. Request it formally in writing. Email the Resource Teacher and Principal stating: "I am requesting that a Behaviour Intervention Plan be developed for [child's name] in response to the ongoing behavioral challenges. Please confirm who will lead this process and the expected timeline."

2. Ask what FBA data exists. If a BIP is to be meaningful, it needs to be grounded in a Functional Behavioral Assessment. Ask specifically whether a formal FBA has been conducted and, if not, request that one be initiated.

3. Request a behaviour consultant's involvement. The BIP development should involve someone with behavioral expertise — not just the classroom teacher and Resource Teacher working alone. The PSB has behaviour consultants who can be requested through the Principal or Inclusive Education Consultant.

4. Participate in the development process. You have the right to contribute to the BIP. Share what you know about your child's triggers, what calms them, what communication strategies work at home, and any behavioral patterns you have observed over time.

5. Ensure the BIP is incorporated into the IEP. The BIP should not be a separate, informal document. It should be formally referenced within the IEP so that all staff who work with your child are aware of it and accountable for following it.

When a BIP Exists but Is Not Being Followed

This is frustratingly common. A BIP is written in September and within weeks classroom teachers and supply teachers are improvising responses to behavioral incidents while the documented plan sits in a binder untouched.

If you discover the BIP is not being implemented consistently:

• Request an IEP review meeting and bring specific examples of where documented strategies were not used
• Ask what training staff have received on the BIP and request evidence of that training
• Ask the Resource Teacher how compliance with the BIP is being monitored
• If the Principal is unresponsive, escalate to the Inclusive Education Consultant with a written account of the discrepancy between the BIP and actual practice

Document every incident. If the school cannot demonstrate that the BIP is being implemented with fidelity, that is grounds for a formal complaint through the PSB escalation pathway.

The Connection Between BIPs and Seclusion/Restraint

Schools that resort to seclusion or physical restraint frequently do so because no adequate BIP is in place. An effective BIP, properly implemented, should reduce the frequency and severity of behavioral crises over time by addressing the underlying function of the behavior — not just containing the student when it erupts.

If your child has experienced seclusion or restraint and does not have a BIP, the absence of that plan is directly relevant to the incident. It supports the argument that the school has failed to provide appropriate behavioral supports as required by the duty to accommodate under the PEI Human Rights Act.

The Prince Edward Island IEP & Support Plan Blueprint covers how to request a Functional Behavioral Assessment and Behaviour Intervention Plan through the PSB, with specific language for formal written requests and escalation templates.

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