How Behavioral Intervention Teams are

Helping Community Colleges and Students

Presented By: Leonard Crow, Patricia M. Powell, Steve Lux, & Pilar Morin

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The Panel

Leonard Crow, MS, Ed.D.– Dean, Discipline and Enrollment Management– Chaffey College

Patricia M. Powell, LCSW, ACSW, BCD– Associate Professor, DPS Counselor– Chaffey College– Certification: BIT Best Practices

Steve Lux– Administrator, Campus Police– Chaffey College

Pilar Morin– Partner – Liebert Cassidy Whitmore

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Intro and Background

• Behavioral Intervention Teams (BIT) are a nontraditional model designed to help identify and address issues faced by community college students

• Our mission is to provide assistance and support to Chaffey personnel in assisting students in matters of behavior and conduct that do not rise to the level of behavior code violations and/or emergency situations

• The BIT goal is to empower faculty and staff and provide them with resources to be able to deal with students, however, BIT will intervene with students if necessary

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Organizational Structure

Faculty/Staff

Police

Discipline

BIT

TAG

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BIT Members

These are the currently active team members:– Faculty, Psychology– Director, Financial Aid– Dean, Discipline and Enrollment Management– Faculty, Psychology– Adjunct Faculty, Rancho Cucamonga Success Center– Lieutenant, Campus Police– Instructional Specialist, Math Success Center– Director, Admissions and Records– Professional Expert, Campus Police– Administrative Assistant II, Social & Behavioral Sciences – Director, Disability Programs and Services– Faculty, Communication Studies– Dean of Counseling and Matriculation– Director, Student Health Services– DPS Counselor, ACSW, LCSW, BCD– Lieutenant, Campus Police

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Types of Concerning Behaviors reported from faculty and staff

• No sense of surroundings or environment• Attention seeking behaviors• Constant interrupting• Talking to self• Talking about and obsessed with guns and weapons• Challenging or debating the instructor excessively• Touching others inappropriately• Confrontational behavior with faculty, staff or other students• Use of inappropriate language or threats verbally or in

writing• Discussion of suicide or harm to self/others

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BIT Reports

• Connecting the dots:– Has BIT received a prior report?– Do other reports exist: discipline or police?

• Note BIT’s goal is not to gather documentation for discipline or prosecution, rather the goal is to get a better understanding of the issues presented and thereafter to assist the faculty and staff in helping the student.

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Case Study

• The BIT received a report of the following: A student enrolled in EOPS is combative verbally with his counselor. He wanted to know why he was dropped from his class. The counselor explained and the student left. Thirty minutes later, the student returned to EOPS in a panicked state, hallucinating and delusional.

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• What if the student was also mumbling or talking to himself in one of his classes?

• What if faculty complains about being fearful of the student but the student has never threatened anyone?

• What if the student is disruptive in class and fails to observe the rules and directions of the instructors?

• What strategies can BIT provide?

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Case Study

• In an Administrative Justice class, Michelle, a former veteran, discusses her love of guns and weapons. Two of her classmates, disagree with her views on guns. Michelle states that she loves the 2nd Amendment and is willing to die or kill for it. She does not raise her voice but moves close to the students while making the statements. The students, one of whom is a parole officer, report feeling threatened to the faculty member who then reports it to BIT.

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• Was there a direct threat to others? • Should the police receive a report?• Was there a disruption in the classroom?• Besides the students who reported the

incident, did the faculty member witness the event?

• Potential legal issues?• What strategies can BIT provide?

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Case Study

• Don is a 55 year old male DPS student dealing with issues of homelessness, hunger and lack of support. The BIT receives reports that Don has been seen eating out of trash cans, sleeping in his car, showering in the gym, and wearing the same clothes for days.

What strategies can BIT provide to faculty and staff to assist the student?

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Case Study

• Lorraine and Robert are students in the District. They have two children and are going through a divorce. Lorraine has fallen asleep in class several times. She has also been seen crying in class. She confided in her instructor that she left her home four days ago due to domestic violence problems. Lorraine and the children sleep in their vehicle. Lorraine does not sleep at night to watch over her children. After she takes them to school, she sleeps for an hour before her first class.

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What strategies are provided to faculty and staff to assist the student?

What are the reporting obligations?

What resources can BIT provide to the faculty/student?

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Case studies

Julian submitted a paper in his English class describing homicidal thoughts toward Maria, a female student in class. Julian has known Maria since high school. Julian perceived that Maria was making fun of his appearance. Julian has an intellectual disability, and suffers from low self esteem. The instructor reported it to BIT.

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What are the reporting obligations?

What are the roles of Police, BIT, Discipline, or TAG?

What resources and strategies can BIT provide to the faculty/student?

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Thank You!

Leonard P. Crow, MS, Ed.D.

Dean, Discipline and Enrollment Management

Chaffey College

Patricia M. Powell, LCSW, ACSW, BCD

Associate Professor, DPS Counselor

Chaffey College

Steve Lux

Administrator, Campus Police

Chaffey College

Pilar Morin

Partner, Liebert Cassidy Whitmore

310.981.2004 I pmorin@lcwlegal.com