If your child attends a School District of Palm Beach County public school and you want their private BCBA or RBT to work with them on campus, there is a set district process to follow. Florida's s. 1003.572 gives the legal right; the district's "Private Service Provider Access Request Process and Packet" is how it is handled in Palm Beach. This guide walks through the district's published steps as they appeared on October 20, 2026, the contacts to know, and what to prepare. Procedures change, so check the district's page or ask your school's ESE contact before you start.
What gives you the right to private ABA at school?
Section 1003.572(3), Florida Statutes, says private instructional personnel "hired or contracted by parents" must be permitted to observe, collaborate and provide services in the educational setting when "The student's public instructional personnel and principal consent to the time and place" and the provider meets background screening under s. 1012.32 or s. 1012.321. It adds that "a school district may not impose any requirements beyond those requirements specified in this subsection or charge any fees." For the full explanation, read private ABA in Florida public schools.
What is the Palm Beach process?
The district's ESE page, "Collaboration of Public and Private Instructional Personnel," says the "Private Service Provider Access Request Process and Packet is required annually." The steps it lists, in order:
- Insurance review first. The provider "submits only insurance documentation to Risk Management for review," to Riskcertificates@palmbeachschools.org. Originals of insurance documents and endorsements are required; "Screenshots and cell phone pictures will not be accepted." An agency "with multiple employees" may submit a list of all employees covered under its insurance. After review, the provider receives "an insurance completion document to submit with the PIP Packet."
- Fingerprinting and background check. Only after insurance review is complete, the provider follows the district's fingerprinting directions. Providers already in the state's Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse are directed to bring a completed Clearinghouse form to the district's HR Operations front desk. The page says: "PIP is solely responsible for any costs for background checks or badging."
- The packet. After clearance and a vendor badge, the parent and provider "download, print, and complete the PIP Packet with all required parent and provider signatures and initials." The district posts the packet in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Haitian Creole.
- Submit to your child's school. Completed packets go "to the student's school of enrollment for review." Packets "submitted without insurance and background check confirmations will not be accepted."
- Scheduling. "School administration will contact PIP and parent to discuss the schedule of support within 30 school days of the submission of the completed packet."
The packet itself describes approval as taking "approximately 30 calendar days when school is in session," and elsewhere "up to 30 school days," so plan for several weeks.
What does the Palm Beach packet ask for?
The current packet (revised April 2026) asks the parent, provider and, for an RBT, the supervising behavior analyst to agree to a list of conditions. Highlights:
- proof of certification or licensure for the supervising behavior analyst and the RBT;
- a current Palm Beach district vendor badge for each provider;
- signed confidentiality statement and communication agreement for the current school year, and an annual release of information;
- an observation of your child by the supervising behavior analyst "prior to the Registered Behavior Technician providing any services in the school setting";
- "a written tentative schedule for the provision of services during the school day to school-based administration at least one week prior to the start of each month";
- a copy of the private plan of care or behavior plan, "with the applicable sections highlighted," and "a plan for fading services";
- sharing all data collected in the school setting as agreed with the school.
The packet also says providers may not be present during state or district testing, may not take photos or recordings, may not intervene with other students, and "at no time can any PIP/RBT use any physical intervention with a student on any school campus." The principal may rescind classroom access if services are found to be disrupting the educational process, with written notice to the parent and provider.
A note on costs and "extra requirements"
The statute says districts may not "impose any requirements beyond" those in s. 1003.572(3) "or charge any fees," while another statute, s. 1012.465(2), says background screening costs may be borne by the district, the contractor or the person screened. How those provisions fit with district rules such as insurance review and provider-paid screening has not been settled, and we do not take a position on it. If a requirement worries you, ask the district in writing what authority it relies on, and talk with a Florida education attorney if you need advice.
Who do I contact in Palm Beach?
From the district's ESE department directory and pages on October 20, 2026:
| Office | Phone or email | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Your child's school (principal and ESE contact) | Your school's front office | Submitting the packet, scheduling, day-to-day questions |
| District ESE, Autism Spectrum Disorder | 561-434-8272 | Autism program questions |
| District ESE, Procedural Compliance | 561-434-8626 | Questions about IEP procedures and compliance |
| Risk Management (insurance review) | Riskcertificates@palmbeachschools.org | Provider insurance documents |
| HR Operations (fingerprinting) | 561-434-8821 | Provider background check questions |
| FDLRS Alpha (Palm Beach) | 561-434-8975 | Child find screening for ages 3 to 5, family resources |
The district also links to the FAU Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD), which serves Palm Beach County under s. 1004.55. For more local resources, see our Palm Beach County autism resources guide.
A Palm Beach checklist
- Confirm your child has an IEP and talk with the ESE case manager about your goals for private ABA at school.
- Ask your provider to check whether your health plan covers ABA in a school setting. See insurance and ABA at school.
- Provider submits insurance documents to Risk Management and waits for the completion document.
- Provider completes fingerprinting and gets a vendor badge.
- You and the provider complete the packet in your preferred language, attach every required document, and submit it to your child's school.
- Send a short cover letter citing s. 1003.572(3) with proposed times; our letter template can be adapted.
- Attend the meeting with school staff, agree on the schedule in writing, and set a date to review progress.
- Renew every school year.
How Hope Center helps Palm Beach families
Hope Center's West Palm Beach center is at 750 S Military Trail, Suite D-E, and we provide ABA in homes, schools, daycares and the community across Palm Beach County. Our programs are written by BCBAs, delivered by RBTs with weekly supervision, and reviewed by our clinical director before they go to insurance. We can help prepare the plan summary and fading plan the packet asks for, and our staff can join IEP meetings where the school allows. To ask about school-based ABA in Palm Beach County, contact us or call 561-337-8865 for a free consultation and free benefits check.