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Red Book

DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIORS

Student behavior  that interferes with academic (eg. impedes classroom management) or administrative activities and may threaten or endanger the physical/ psychological health, safety, or welfare of the student or others. 

Some non-threatening disruptive behaviors like excessive use of electronic devices or tardiness, can be managed by setting effective ground rules through a well-designed syllabus.

Signs: 

  • Violence or threats of violence (hostile gestures, written/verbal threats, physical assaults)
  • Verbal disruptions (screaming, shouting, berating others, loud crying)
  • Disturbing correspondence (emails or assignments indicating threats to self or others)
  • Academic assignments dominated with themes of rage, violence, and threats to self or others
  • Delusions, hallucinations, confused, disorganized or bizarre behavior (yelling, pacing, talking to self, head banging etc.)
  • Public Intoxication (displaying signs of hangover, strong smell of alcohol)

What to do:

  1. If this is an emergency (behaviors that involves threat to personal or public safety) immediately contact UPD
  2. Refer the student to the Student Support Team
  3. Consider consulting with the CARE Team or SCCS
  4. Consult with department head or supervisor

Important to remember:   

  • Take the disruptive behavior seriously but not personally 
  • Most of the time, ignoring the disruptions causes the behavior to escalate 
  • Stay calm and don’t engage in behaviors that may escalate the situation (e.g. screaming back or physically restraining the student) 
  • It is better to report a behavior even when there is a time lapse between its occurrence and your awareness of it

 

MANAGING OUTSIDE DISRUPTIONS IN THE CLASSROOM

The University provides guidance on managing disruptions in the classroom. While primarily focused on addressing disruptions by students enrolled in a class, there are occasions where an uninvited guest (recently, for example, social media influencers) may interrupt and disrupt a class. In these situations, faculty and instructors are encouraged to consider the following guidelines:

  • Per the State University Board of Trustees' Rules for the Maintenance of Public Order: (Article #535.3, Item 9) "No person, either singly or in concert with others, shall... deliberately disrupt or prevent the peaceful and orderly conduct of classes, lectures and meetings or deliberately interfere with the freedom of any person to express his views, including invited speakers."
  • Faculty have the right to ask someone to leave their classroom if they are disruptive. It is important that your students see you maintain your composure and model authority. It is equally important that you not end the class, unless absolutely necessary. Faculty should assure their students that disruptions are taken seriously and will be reported. Try to use this as a teaching moment in students’ professional development.
  • It’s also helpful to document the disruption if you can. If you or your students take photos or videos or have a written account of what happened, that is useful to support follow-up from university offices, including UPD.
  • If the disruptors refuse to leave, faculty should call UPD at 333 from campus phones or (631) 632-3333 from non-campus phones.

After the class: