If the school uses emergency behavior interventions on your child, school districts must notify you of this within one school day. [Cal. Ed. Code Sec. 56521.1(e).] The school district should also fill out a behavioral emergency report with information about the events leading up to the use of the emergency behavior intervention and describe the use of the intervention. The district must place this in your child’s school file. [Cal. Ed. Code Sec. 56521.1(e).] The district is not required to give you a copy of this report unless you request it. You should make a written request for this report if you learn that an emergency behavior intervention was used on your child.

If your child does not have a PBIP (also called BIP), the school district must schedule an IEP meeting within two days of the emergency intervention to determine whether an FBA is needed and to determine whether your child needs an emergency behavior plan while the assessment is being done. [Cal. Ed. Code Sec. 56521.1(g).] If your child already has a PBIP or BIP, the district must schedule an IEP meeting to review and revise this plan if the school used an emergency behavior intervention on your child because your child has engaged in behavior not covered in the plan or your child’s plan has not been effective in addressing the behavior. [Cal. Ed. Code Sec. 56521.1(h).]

If you are informed that your child’s school used an emergency behavior intervention on your child such as restraint or seclusion, you should remind the school district of their obligation to schedule an IEP meeting to develop a new or modified BSP for your child. If the school district does not do this, we recommend that you file a compliance complaint. You can also make a written request for an IEP Review to address the use of an emergency behavior intervention. The district must hold an IEP meeting within 30 days from the date that your school district receives your written request.