If your child goes to a Hillsborough County public school and already gets ABA at home or in a clinic, you may want their BCBA or RBT to work with them at school too. Florida law allows this under section 1003.572, Florida Statutes, and Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) runs its own application process for it, called PIP (Private Instructional Personnel). This guide walks through the district's process as HCPS describes it on its website (checked 20 October 2026), what to send, what the district's FAQ says, and where families tend to get stuck.
For the state law itself (who counts as private instructional personnel, the teacher and principal consent rule, Level 2 screening and the "no extra requirements or fees" sentence), read our full guide to private ABA in Florida public schools under s. 1003.572. This page focuses on Hillsborough.
Who can use the Hillsborough PIP process?
HCPS says that "only students identified as having a disability under IDEA are eligible to receive PIP (Private Instructional Personnel) services." In practice that means your child needs an IEP. The district's FAQ answers a common question directly: a PIP packet for a child with only a Section 504 plan will be denied, because "only students with individualized education plans (IEPs) are covered" by the statute's language.
If your child has a 504 plan or no plan, and you think they may need special education, the district FAQ suggests asking the school for a meeting to discuss "whether an initial IDEA evaluation is warranted." Our guides to requesting a school evaluation and IEP vs 504 plans explain that step. For children aged 3 to 5 who are not yet in school, FDLRS Hillsborough (in Brandon, 813-837-7777) handles Child Find screening.
How does the Hillsborough PIP application work?
HCPS describes these steps on its PIP pages:
- Complete the Parent/Guardian and Provider Packet. The district posts a new packet for each school year. For 2026-27, the guidance page said the fall packet would be posted on 1 July 2026, and a separate Extended School Year (ESY) packet on 1 May 2026.
- Your provider submits credentials. New providers send their "PIP Credentials." Continuing providers do not need to resubmit if the credentials on file are current.
- Send everything in one email to PrivateInstructionalPersonnel@hcps.net, with your child's name in the subject line. The district asks for a single email "for timely processing."
- Wait for review. The FAQ says that "during peak times, processing may take up to 20 days," and longer if anything is missing or incorrect.
- Attend a collaboration meeting. Once a packet is approved, the site administrator is notified and a meeting is scheduled with you, your provider and school staff. HCPS says this meeting "is required prior to providing services."
- Renew every year. A new application is needed each school year, or sooner if the provider or your child's school assignment changes. An approved application is valid for the regular school year in which it was submitted.
For 2026-27, HCPS also said that approved provider packets would go to site administrators in the last week of July, so collaboration meetings could be scheduled before the year started. If you are planning for 2027-28, watch the district's PIP page from late spring.
What goes in the packet?
The district's submission checklist lists the forms and the documents to attach:
| Item | Who usually supplies it |
|---|---|
| PIP Parent/Guardian and Provider Information | Parent and provider |
| Receipt and Acknowledgement signature page | Parent and provider |
| HCPS FERPA Release of Student Information/Records for Private Instructional Providers | Parent |
| Acknowledgment and Indemnification Agreement | Provider |
| Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) Documentation Form, if an RBT will work at school | Provider |
| Copy of each provider's certificate or license | Provider |
| Copy of each provider's Hillsborough County JLA vendor badge | Provider |
| The provider's plan of care or treatment plan for your child | Provider |
| Liability insurance naming HCPS as an additional insured, for the agency and/or supervising BCBA | Provider |
The district's guidance page describes the "PIP Credentials" as professional certification or licensure, general liability insurance naming HCPS as an additional insured, and a Jessica Lunsford Act (yellow) badge. Providers "must also have their Vendor (blue) badge to be on campus."
Badges and insurance
The badges come through the HCPS Fingerprinting Department. Its quick reference sheet for contractors and vendors (dated May 2023) says the company must register with the district's vendor system, the school or district site must confirm it requested the services before a district badge is issued, and fingerprinting instructions arrive by email from fingerprinting@hcps.net. The department's phone number on that sheet is 813-840-7178.
The district's insurance page asks third-party providers for a certificate of liability insurance naming the Hillsborough County Public School Board as certificate holder and additional insured, with commercial general liability on an occurrence basis, minimum limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 general aggregate, and no exclusion or sublimit for abuse or molestation. These are provider-side requirements, but they explain why setup can take time.
Section 1003.572(3) says a district "may not impose any requirements beyond those requirements specified in this subsection or charge any fees." How that sentence applies to district badge, insurance and indemnity requirements has not been settled by a court that we know of. If you or your provider believe a requirement goes beyond the statute, ask the district in writing which authority it relies on, and speak with a Florida education attorney before treating it as a dispute.
What does the district's FAQ say about scheduling and limits?
The HCPS PIP FAQ answers several questions families ask us. In the district's words or close summary:
- Where and when: "Building administration determines the schedule and location where services will be provided." Some services may not suit the classroom; when the service supports the student in regular programming and the principal and teacher agree (the FAQ gives behavior therapy as an example), the classroom may be appropriate.
- Insurance does not set the schedule: scheduling "is determined collaboratively between the school principal, public instructional provider, parents and the PIP."
- Testing: "PIPs are not permitted to be present during any state or district testing."
- Field trips: at the principal's discretion. If approved, the provider meets the student at the location, pays their own admission and is not counted as a chaperone.
- Before and after school: district-run programs need the principal's approval; community-run programs decide for themselves.
- School transfers: a new packet is not needed, but a new FERPA release is, and a new collaboration meeting is scheduled before services start at the new school.
- Several students: a separate packet is needed for each student.
- Service logs: HCPS staff may not sign private provider timesheets or service logs.
- The IEP: privately arranged services that the IEP team has not found necessary for FAPE "are not recorded on the IEP."
That last point matters. Your private ABA at school is extra support. It does not replace anything the school owes your child, and s. 1003.572(4) says providing private personnel "does not constitute a waiver" of your child's right to a free appropriate public education.
Why are Hillsborough parents pushing for a written policy?
In October 2025, Bay News 9 reported that a parent group, Project ABA Rights, asked the Hillsborough County School Board to adopt an official, written PIP policy so that approval would not depend on the individual school. Parents and providers quoted in the story said that school responses varied. The district said in a statement that "our policy is in line with state statute" and that it had worked with the group "to design a process to make access easier." The process described above is what the district publishes on its ESE pages as of 20 October 2026; whether the board has since adopted a separate written policy is something to check in the district's online policy manual. If you run into a school-level barrier, the district ESE office at PrivateInstructionalPersonnel@hcps.net is the place to start, and the checklist lists ESE Compliance at 813-378-8844.
A sample timeline and a script
This is an illustration only. District processing times, badge appointments and insurance approvals vary.
- Spring: talk with your BCBA about goals for school (for example, transitions between activities, asking for a break, joining group work). Ask your insurer, or have your provider ask, whether ABA in a school setting is covered on your plan. See ABA at school and insurance.
- When the packet is posted: complete your parts the same week and send the provider their sections.
- Within days: one email to the district with every form and attachment, child's name in the subject line.
- Up to about 20 days at peak times: district review.
- After approval: collaboration meeting at school, agree on times and place, then start.
When you send the packet, a short cover note helps: "Please find attached the 2026-27 PIP Parent/Guardian and Provider Packet and all supporting documents for [child's full name], [school], grade [x]. The provider is [agency], BCBA [name]. We would appreciate a collaboration meeting as soon as the packet is approved. Thank you."
How Hope Center can help in the Tampa area
Hope Center provides school-based ABA along with home, center, daycare and community sessions. Our Temple Terrace center is at 9385 N 56th St, Suite 211, and we also serve families in their homes and schools in areas such as Plant City and Apollo Beach (see our Tampa ABA page). Programs are written by BCBAs and delivered by RBTs, every plan is reviewed by our clinical director before it goes to insurance, and RBTs are supervised weekly. Our staff can join IEP meetings where the school allows.
There is no waitlist. If you would like ABA at your child's Hillsborough school, contact us or call 561-337-8865 for a free consultation and a free benefits check, and tell us the school name so we can talk through the district steps with you. For other local supports, see our Hillsborough County autism resources guide.