Functional Behavior Assessment in Wyoming: A Parent's Guide

Your child is being sent home for behavioral incidents on a near-weekly basis. The school keeps describing the behavior in disciplinary terms. You suspect something deeper is going on — a disability, a sensory trigger, an unmet need — but nobody's conducting a formal assessment. In Wyoming, there's a specific legal tool designed for exactly this situation: the Functional Behavior Assessment.

What a Functional Behavior Assessment Is

A Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is a structured evaluation process that looks at why a specific behavior is occurring — what triggers it, what purpose it serves for the student, and what environmental factors maintain it. The goal is to understand the function of the behavior before trying to reduce or replace it.

An FBA typically involves:

• Direct observation of the student in relevant settings
• Interviews with teachers, parents, and (when appropriate) the student
• Review of records including previous behavioral data
• Data collection on antecedents (what happens before), the behavior itself, and consequences (what happens after)

The output is a hypothesis statement: "When [antecedent occurs], the student engages in [behavior] in order to [function — escape, gain attention, obtain a sensory experience, etc.]." That hypothesis then drives the Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP).

When Wyoming Schools Must Conduct an FBA

Federal IDEA law and Wyoming Chapter 7 Rules create specific triggers for FBAs:

Discipline-related triggers: If your child's behavior results in a disciplinary change of placement (removal for more than 10 school days), the IEP team must conduct a manifestation determination. If the behavior is found to be a manifestation of the disability, the school must conduct an FBA if one hasn't already been done — or review and modify the existing BIP if one exists.

IEP-driven triggers: If behavioral concerns are identified during a special education evaluation or IEP meeting, the team may determine that an FBA is necessary to address behavioral needs as part of providing FAPE.

Parent request: You can request that the district conduct an FBA as part of an initial evaluation or reevaluation. Submit this in writing. The same 60-calendar-day evaluation timeline applies.

In Wyoming's rural districts, where behavioral specialists and BCBAs are in short supply, BOCES programs — particularly Northwest BOCES — often provide FBA services for districts that don't have in-house behavioral expertise.

The Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)

The FBA results in a BIP: a written plan that specifies what adults will do differently to prevent the triggering conditions, teach replacement behaviors, and respond consistently when the target behavior occurs.

A legally compliant BIP in Wyoming should include:

• A precise description of the target behavior (observable and measurable)
• The identified function of the behavior based on the FBA
• Prevention strategies (what the environment or routine will change)
• Replacement behavior instruction (what the student will be explicitly taught as an alternative)
• Consequence strategies (how adults will respond to both behaviors)
• Data collection procedures for monitoring effectiveness

A BIP that simply lists consequences ("student will receive a warning, then be sent to the office") without addressing the function of the behavior is not a compliant BIP — it's a discipline flowchart.

What Makes a BIP Work in Wyoming's Rural Classrooms

Wyoming's smallest districts often have multi-grade classrooms where a single teacher handles students across multiple grade levels simultaneously. Effective BIPs in these environments need to:

• Specify exactly which strategies require one-on-one attention and which can be embedded in routine
• Identify who implements each strategy when the classroom teacher is occupied
• Describe how paraprofessionals are trained and supervised for BIP implementation
• Include a realistic data collection method that doesn't require constant 1:1 attention

Using an FBA to Challenge Disciplinary Decisions

If your child is being disciplined repeatedly for behavior you believe is related to their disability — and no FBA has been done — this is a significant compliance gap. Wyoming Chapter 7 requires that the district address behaviors that impede a student's own learning or that of others as part of providing FAPE.

Wyoming is a one-party consent state under Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 7-3-702, which means you can legally record IEP and behavioral review meetings without notifying the school.

Your Request Letter

A simple letter to the special education coordinator is sufficient:

"I am writing to request a Functional Behavior Assessment for [child's name] as part of a comprehensive evaluation. I am providing written consent for this evaluation. Please confirm receipt and provide me with the evaluation plan and timeline."

Once you consent in writing, the 60-calendar-day clock under Chapter 7 begins.

The Wyoming IEP & 504 Blueprint at /us/wyoming/iep-guide/ covers FBA rights, BIP requirements, and the specific Chapter 7 provisions that govern behavioral evaluations and discipline — including what the district must do before removing a student with a disability from the classroom.

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