Penalties for Disruptive Behavior
The following information has been taken from the Student Conduct Code.
The classroom is not an unstructured political forum. It is a center for study and understanding of described subject matter for which the instructor has professional responsibility and institutional accountability. Control of the order and direction of a class, as well as control of the scope and treatment of the subject matter, rests with the individual instructors free from distraction or disruption by students or others who may be in disagreement with the manner in which he or she discharges his or her responsibilities. Thus, disruption of the classroom insubordinate of the instructor's immediate authority is forbidden in order to reflect properly the obligation of each student to respect the rights of others in the maintenance of classroom order and in the observance of that standard of elementary courtesy, common to every intellectual discipline. A student may be removed from the course or receive a reduced grade resulting from disruptive classroom behavior.
The instructor has the right to impose sanctions in cases of disruptive classroom behavior. In taking such action the instructor should follow these procedural steps:
| 1 | Inform the student that the behavior in question is disrupting the class and request that the student discontinue the behavior. In the case of aggressive disruptive behavior, the instructor should ask the student to leave the classroom immediately or initiate action to have the student removed by seeking assistance from the department chair. |
| 2 | If the disruptive behavior continues (whether in the same or a subsequent class period), the instructor should again direct the student to stop the behavior and ask to meet with the student outside of class (e.g. in the instructor's office, LS 208, the conference room in the main office) to inform the student that the behavior is disruptive. At this point, the instructor should direct the student to review the section "Conduct in the Classroom" of the Student Code of Conduct in the Student Handbook as well as the lab syllabus. |
| 3 | Follow up with a letter to the student. The letter should describe the specific behavior that is disruptive, reference the warnings given the student, and state what further actions may take place if the behavior were to continue. The instructor should also express the belief that this letter will constitute the final step for resolution of the particular situation. A good reason to carry out this step is to create the expectation that the student will resume appropriate classroom behavior. The letter will also serve as documentation that may become necessary if the disruptive behavior continues. The Department Chair and Coordinator will need to be copied on the e-mail. |
| 4 | If the disruptive behavior continues, the instructor's options include: Asking the student to leave the classroom, which may be followed up with a call to ISU Public Safety, if necessary, to have an officer escort the student from the room (notify the department chair that this was done) OR Imposing a grade reduction. |
| 5 | Any student appeal of sanctions imposed due to disruptive behavior in the classroom is made to the dean (or dean's representative) of the College of Science and Engineering. |
| Updated: 01/29/2019 |