Dealing With Disruptive Behavior in the Classroom

Disruptive behavior includes any conduct that interferes with the orderly operation of the college, or presents a threat to the health and safety of the campus community.

Disruptive classroom behavior includes any conduct that makes it difficult for an instructor to teach, or for other students to learn.

• Communicate your behavioral expectations to your students in class at the beginning of each semester.  Include information about the college’s standards of student conduct and the policy on academic honesty in your course overview. 
  
  You can access the complete Standards of Student Conduct outlined in GCC Administrative Regulation 5500 through the college’s website.  

• Speak with disruptive students immediately instead of waiting and hoping that they will change their behavior on their own.  Ignoring behavioral problems will only increase your aggravation level and frustrate your other students.

• If students have been disruptive during class, speak with them after class or during office hours.  Let them know why their behavior was disruptive, how their conduct affects others in the class, and what the consequences may be if they fail to modify their behavior.

• GCC Administrative Regulation 5520, Section C(4) authorizes an instructor to dismiss a disruptive student for the remainder of a class session as well as the following class meeting. This must be reported to the Judicial Officer immediately. After report is received, Judicial Officer should contact you to determine whether any further disciplinary action will be necessary.

• Please remember that you cannot drop a student from class for engaging in disruptive behavior.  Not every case of student misconduct warrants a long-term or permanent dismissal.  This determination can only be made through the formal campus judicial process.

• Verdugo Campus:  Instructors on the Verdugo Campus who are having problems with a disruptive student or are unsure how to handle a behavioral situation should contact me at ext. 5594, send an e-mail to me at toukayan@glendale.edu or come see me at my office in SC 201. 

• Garfield Campus:  Instructors who teach at the Garfield Campus should report disciplinary problems to Thatcher Weldon, Administrative Dean, Noncredit and Community Education at ext. 5018, or by email to tweldon@glendale.edu
  
  Garfield Campus faculty who need assistance during evening hours should contact Ali Kobaissi, Garfield Campus evening administrator, at ext. 3070.

• Academic Dishonesty:  Report violations of Board Policy 6133 – Policy on Academic Honesty to Dr. Michael Ritterbrown, Vice President of Instructional Services at ext. 5104, or by email to michaelr@glendale.edu.        

• College Police:  If you experience any disruptive classroom behavior that requires an emergency response, call the GCC Police Department emergency line at extension 4000.  For non-emergencies call ext. 5205.

 

Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions or need assistance with disciplinary matters that may arise during the semester. 

Tzoler Oukayan
Dean, Student Affairs
(818) 240-1000 ext. 5594
toukayan@glendale.edu