Interim Actions to Address Classroom Disruptions
The NOVA Code of Conduct has a mechanism that faculty can use when there is a classroom disruption that impedes instruction. Immediate steps taken to remove a student who is causing a classroom disruption are called interim actions. These actions are designed to be short term, and they facilitate an immediate need that preserves instruction and the classroom environment.
Per the Student Code of Conduct: “Depending on the nature of the alleged misconduct, interim actions may be taken as deemed necessary for the safety of the College community. Examples include, but are not limited to, interim suspension, no-trespass orders and administrative no-contact orders between individuals or groups.… An instructor or other College official may direct a student to leave a class or any other academic setting when the student has, in the instructor’s or official’s judgment, caused a disruption.”
Faculty who ask a student to leave a class session as a result of an interim action should do what they can to avoid penalizing that student academically. When possible, professors are to make alternative arrangements for students to continue to meet academic requirements.
During an interim action, it is necessary to resolve the underlying dynamics that caused the classroom disruption. The faculty member who institutes an interim action should fill out a Student Conduct Form as soon as possible to alert the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities about the situation. Depending on the severity of the disruption, a discussion between a faculty member and a student may be all that is necessary to facilitate the student’s return to the classroom. In more severe cases, an academic dean may bar a student from a class or setting for a longer period of time pending a meeting with the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities.
To learn more about interim actions, please review the “Student Code of Conduct” section of the NOVA website, or reach out to your campus Coordinator for Student Integrity and Conduct:
- Dr. Chevella Wilson (CHWilson@nvcc.edu): LO and WO
- Lisa Zandel (LZandel1@nvcc.edu): AL and MA
- Steven Mosley (SMosley@nvcc.edu): AN and MEC
Submitted by:
Lawrence Nightingale, OSRR-Interim Director, LNightingale@nvcc.edu