If your child is getting calls home every week, spending time in the office, being removed from class, or receiving repeated suspensions, it is easy for everyone to get stuck in the same pattern: behavior, consequence, return, repeat.

Student behavior is a major concern for schools going into the 2026–27 school year. In an Education Week Research Center survey, 75% of educators identified student behavior as a major expected challenge.¹ But repeated behavior problems are not all caused by the same thing, and the response should not be one-size-fits-all.

Start by defining the behavior clearly

Words such as “defiant,” “disrespectful,” or “out of control” can mean different things to different people. Ask for specific examples: What did the student do or say? What happened immediately before it? What happened afterward? How often does it happen, and in which settings?

Specific information makes it easier to find patterns and evaluate whether an intervention is working.

Look for the function, not just the rule violation

Behavior can communicate a need or serve a purpose. A student may be avoiding work that feels impossible, seeking peer attention, reacting to embarrassment, struggling with transitions, becoming overwhelmed by noise, responding to trauma reminders, or lacking a skill for managing frustration.

Understanding why a behavior happens does not mean excusing unsafe conduct. It helps adults choose a response that is more likely to prevent it from happening again.

Ask what positive supports have been tried

• Clear routines and expectations
• Frequent positive feedback
• Check-in/check-out with a trusted adult
• Movement or sensory breaks
• Academic support
• Adjusted transitions
• Conflict-resolution or restorative practices
• Counseling or social-work support
• A behavior intervention plan when appropriate

CDC guidance identifies positive classroom management and school connectedness as important parts of healthier school environments.²³

Could this be connected to a disability?

Possibly. ADHD, autism, emotional disability, learning disabilities, communication difficulties, trauma-related symptoms, and other conditions can affect behavior at school. A diagnosis alone does not automatically create special-education eligibility, but parents can request an evaluation when they suspect a disability is affecting education.

If your child already has an IEP or 504 plan, ask whether the current supports are being implemented and whether the team needs to review behavior supports. See CRP’s guides to IEPs and 504 plans.

What is a functional behavioral assessment?

A functional behavioral assessment, often called an FBA, is a structured process for identifying patterns around a behavior and developing a hypothesis about why it occurs. It can inform a behavior intervention plan, or BIP.

An FBA is not simply a list of everything the student did wrong. A useful assessment looks at triggers, environment, skills, consequences, and patterns so the team can design supports.

What should parents ask in a school meeting?

1. What exact behaviors are causing concern?
2. When and where are they most likely to happen?
3. Are there classes or adults where the behavior is less common?
4. What happens right before and after the behavior?
5. What interventions have been tried, for how long, and with what result?
6. Is the student missing instruction because of removals?
7. Could academic difficulty, bullying, mental health, disability, sleep, or family stress be contributing?
8. What will the school and family each try next, and when will we review the data?

Discipline still has limits

Schools can impose consequences under their codes of conduct, but public-school students have due-process protections when suspended, and students with disabilities may have additional protections under federal law. Repeated removals can become especially important when they significantly interfere with access to instruction.

If discipline is becoming frequent, ask for written records rather than relying only on phone calls.

The bottom line

When a child repeatedly gets in trouble at school, the question should move from “What punishment comes next?” to “What pattern are we seeing, what skill or support is missing, and how will we know whether the next intervention works?” Accountability and support can exist at the same time.