Managing Disruptive Classroom Behavior

Both faculty and students have rights and responsibilities as it relates to classroom behavior and expectations.

Your Rights and Responsibilities as a Faculty Member

1. Set classroom expectations, and include the expectations in the syllabus. Consider adding participation points to your course grade. These points may be deducted for disruptive behavior.
2. Provide examples of what constitutes a disruption in your classroom
3. If you have a concern about the behavior of a student in class, speak with the student as soon as possible
4. You have the right to dismiss a student from a class for disruptive behavior. (That dismissal only lasts for the class period of the disruption) If you dismiss a student for disruptive behavior, you should report the incident to the Student Conduct office via our online incident report form
5. For continued disruption by the same student, in your class, continue to report the incident to Student Conduct and also speak with your department chair

What is Disruptive Behavior?

In an effort to create a shared language among professionals and to formulate appropriate interventions, it may be helpful to review the following definitions of behavior. All behavior must be assessed in context to determine risk and appropriate response. These lists are generalizations and are not exhaustive. Faculty may find this list helpful in assessing how to respond to student behavior. Faculty may also find the Faculty and Staff Resource Guide helpful to identify resources, university support, and to better understand student support processes. 

Annoying Behavior

This behavior can include the following:

• Talking loudly
• Minor interruptions
• Asking a lot of questions
• Rude in tone
• Showing up late
• Leaving early
• Hygiene concerns
• Non-participatory

Disruptive Behavior

Disruptive behavior is behavior that can be reasonably interpreted to hinder a professor’s ability to teach, affects the classroom environment, or the educational experiences of students. Disruptive behavior in a classroom or instructional environment can manifest in a variety of forms: verbal outbursts, constant interruption during class, or engaging in behavior prohibited by the Code of Conduct, or the course syllabus.

This behavior can include the following:

• Yelling to talk over students or professor
• Excessively loud in group work
• Non-compliance with directions
• Refusing to leave
• Monopolizing class time

Threatening Behavior

Threatening behavior is behavior that may require you to contact emergency personnel. In an emergency, call Public Safety at 516-877-3500 or dial “5” from any on-campus phone. Planning ahead can help you manage an emergency situation. Because you may not be able to get to your phone and make an emergency call yourself, you may find it helpful to identify one or two students who can assist in the event of an emergency. Ask if these students would feel comfortable leaving the room and calling for help if an emergency situation arises. You and the student can come up with a signal that will let the student know they need to make the call; for example, asking a student to bring a file to a particular location.

This behavior can include the following:

• Violent behavior
• Specific threats
• Preoccupation with weapons
• Expressions of suicidal thoughts
• Sexual misconduct according to policy
• Under the influence of drugs or intoxicated
• Hostility
• Incoherent speech

Behavior that is neither disruptive nor threatening, may be addressed through a conversation from a place of concern. Faculty who have general concerns about students can utilize other offices to assist them in addressing these concerns. A variety of offices and reporting options are available, and in the Faculty and Staff Resource Guide. You can also visit our resources on difficult conversations, or call Student Conduct and Community Standards at 516.877.3612 for consultation and support.

Disruptive Classroom Behavior

The Code of Conduct protects the integrity of the classroom and the Professor’s ability to enforce expectations beyond that which are stated in the Code (for example, regulating the use of cell phones or other electronics in class, prohibiting calling out in class or talking over other students, or other distracting behavior). Typically, in order to remove a student from a classroom permanently based on disruptive behavior, a professor would follow the process outlined in the Code which allows for the student to have an opportunity to conform their behavior to the expectations of the classroom, and provides a process for the Professor to seek assistance from the Associate Provost for Academic and Student Life. The information in the Code may also be helpful for students who are struggling to adjust/adapt their behavior to a professor’s expectations to know what to expect.

Steps for Addressing Disruptive Classroom Behavior

Faculty wishing to address disruptive classroom behavior should adhere to the following steps:

1. At the time of the disruption, if it is appropriate, address the behavior by providing clear instructions and redirection to the student.
2. If the behavior continues after redirection, ask the student to leave for the remainder of the class.
3. Always have a follow-up conversation with the student outside of the classroom to discuss the behavior and review your specific classroom expectations.
4. Document your in-person conversation with the student by sending a follow-up email to them, outlining what you discussed and clearly stating your expectations. In your email, remind the student that if they continue to engage in disruptive behavior that you will ask the student to leave for the remainder of class and that you will be informing the Associate Provost for Academic and Student Life.
5. Consider informing your Dean or Department Chair of any concerns. Document these concerns in writing to the Dean or Department Chair.
6. If the behavior continues, report the situation in writing to the Associate Provost for Academic and Student Life to work on a resolution.
7. If necessary, the Associate Provost will refer the matter to the Student Conduct and Community Standards office where the behavior is addressed and solutions are explored.
8. If all interventions have failed, the professor may seek to have the student withdrawn from the course through the Provost’s Office according to existing protocols.

At any time in this process, you may call or email our office to consult with Student Conduct and Community Standards. We can be reached at 516.877.3612, or by email studentconduct@adelphi.edu. Student Conduct and Community Standards responds to a broad range of student behaviors on campus and offers resources to support student success. We are here to assist faculty in supporting student success, and we may have other resources that could benefit you and the student.