Vermont's periodic staff training on classroom and behavior management (16 V.S.A. § 1161a(a)(5)): what the law asks, and where outside training fits
The short answer
Vermont law requires every public and approved independent school's discipline plan to describe how all staff and contractors who routinely have unsupervised contact with students will periodically receive training on maintaining a safe, orderly, civil and positive learning environment. The training must be appropriate to the staff member's role and teach classroom and behavior management, enforcement of the school's discipline policies, and positive youth development models. Section 1161a(a)(5) requires periodic training but specifies no minimum hours or fixed interval. In the Vermont education statutes we read, we found no requirement for autism-specific training.
What the law says
16 V.S.A. § 1161a(a) says each public and each approved independent school "shall adopt and implement a comprehensive plan for responding to student misbehavior." Among the things the plan must include:
"(5) A description of how the school will ensure that all staff and contractors who routinely have unsupervised contact with students periodically receive training on the maintenance of a safe, orderly, civil, and positive learning environment. The training shall be appropriate to the role of the staff member being trained and shall teach classroom and behavior management, enforcement of the school's discipline policies, and positive youth development models."
The plan must also include the school's approach to classroom management and response to disruptive behavior. The law does not say how often "periodically" is, how many hours the training lasts, or who provides it.
Source: 16 V.S.A. § 1161a.
Related training rules for Vermont school staff
Restraint and seclusion (State Board of Education Rule Series 4500). We read Rule Series 4500 in the copy the State Board provided to the Legislature's House Education Committee in 2023. The rules apply "to all learning environments that receive public funding, or over which the Vermont Department of Education has regulatory authority." Under Rule 4502.4, school personnel or contract service providers who impose physical restraint or seclusion must have been trained to provide the selected intervention, unless trained personnel are not immediately available because of the unforeseeable nature of the danger. When restraint or seclusion is included in a student's individual safety plan, one of the conditions in Rule 4502.3 is:
"Staff implementing the individual safety plan have received training from a state-recommended training program"
Rule 4506 is an annual notice, not a training course: each school "shall inform all school personnel, and parents of students enrolled in the school of the policies pertaining to the use of physical restraint and seclusion and the intent to emphasize the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports." State law also says the State Board and the Agency of Education do not regulate the use of restraint and seclusion on school property by a certified school resource officer (16 V.S.A. § 1167(a)). Our course does not teach restraint, seclusion or crisis intervention.
State special education training funds (16 V.S.A. § 2969).
"(c) For the purpose of meeting the needs of students with emotional or behavioral challenges, each fiscal year the Secretary shall use for training, program development, and building school and regional capacity up to one percent of the State funds appropriated under this subchapter."
Subsection (d) sets aside up to 0.75 percent of the same funds each fiscal year for training teachers, administrators and other personnel in the identification and evaluation of, and services to, children who require educational supports; the Secretary may spend up to five percent of those funds on statewide training and "shall distribute the remaining funds to school districts or supervisory unions." Under subsection (e), school districts and supervisory unions applying for funds must submit a training plan that will result in lasting changes in their school systems and assure that they will cover at least 50 percent of training costs, including in-kind costs. The Secretary may also identify schools most in need of training assistance and pay 100 percent of that assistance. These are funding rules; they do not require any staff member to complete a particular course.
Source: Vermont State Board of Education Rule Series 4500; 16 V.S.A. § 2969; 16 V.S.A. § 1167.
What we searched
On October 29, 2026, we read Title 16 chapters 1, 3, 25, 51, 53 and 101 of the Vermont Statutes on the Vermont Legislature's site and searched them for terms including autism, positive behavior, behavior intervention, de-escalation, restraint, training and paraeducator. The word "autism" does not appear in those chapters. We did not read the educator licensing rules, so this page does not describe license renewal.
Where outside training fits
Section 1161a leaves the design of the training to each school's discipline plan; it names no provider and sets no hours. Rule 4502.3 requires staff implementing an individual safety plan involving physical restraint or seclusion to have received training "from a state-recommended training program." Rule 4509 also lets a school use a program that is not on the state's recommended list if it submits a plan to the Commissioner of Education showing how the program meets the purposes of the rules and contains the training elements the rule lists. We do not claim that our course is such a program; it does not teach restraint or seclusion. Section 2969 does not name training providers. We do not claim that our course satisfies § 1161a(a)(5) or any other Vermont requirement, qualifies for state training funds, or counts toward educator license renewal. Our course teaches basic ABA methods for daily practice. Before buying outside training for any of these purposes, ask your school, supervisory union or the Vermont Agency of Education how it evaluates outside courses.
What our Intro to ABA Level 1 course covers
The Intro to ABA Level 1 course teaches methods and techniques of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for parents and caregivers, teachers, paraprofessionals and behavior technicians who work with a child every day. Topics include what autism is, what ABA is, pairing, errorless teaching and prompting, and active student responding. Complete the course and pass its 40-question final exam with a score of at least 80%. Completing this course earns a Special Learning certificate of completion. That certificate is not a continuing education (CE) certificate. It is basic training in ABA methods for daily practice, not a professional credential. We do not claim Vermont state approval or continuing education credit for this course.
A paraprofessional who took it wrote: "I want to learn everything I can to help my student succeed in the public school system. I found Special Learning's ABA level 1 course so fascinating and inspiring."
Two ways to start
- For one person: try the first two sessions free for 7 days; account creation is required, with no payment information requested. The full course costs $199, paid once, with no subscription or recurring charge. Activate your license code within 90 days of purchase; the published completion window is 10 weeks after activation. You may request a later start date, no later than three months after purchase. Start the free sessions
- For your district's staff: tell us how many people need training and when, and we will send a quote; each participant who completes the course and passes its 40-question final exam with a score of at least 80% earns an individual certificate of completion. Ask for a school quote
Last reviewed: October 29, 2026.