Beginning with Fall term, 2008, Lincoln Land Community College has established a Behavior Intervention Team. The purpose of this team is to provide a cross-functional, multidisciplinary point of contact for members of the college community who have encountered student behavior which they perceive as aberrant, threatening or dangerous.  Our goal is to address behaviors of concern, showing due diligence for the safety of our students and personnel, while protecting student confidentiality to the appropriate extent.  The Team is not meant to take the place of standard classroom management techniques employed by faculty.  Implementation of this team does not alter any existing discipline policies; rather, it formalizes some processes that have already developed through practice and seeks to publicize these processes to the college community.

Members of LLCC’s Behavior Intervention Team are Dr. Faye Fullerton, VP of Student Services; Mr. Brad Gentry, chief of LLCC Police; Ms. Linda Chriswell, special needs professional; and Mr. Robert Burmeister, student development professional.  Additional personnel will be called in as needed for particular cases. 

Student behaviors of concern can be brought to the attention of the Behavior Intervention Team through any of the four team members.  The team will act promptly to follow up with the individual initiating the report, gathering any additional information.  Then, we will determine if there have been any additional warning signs or reasons for concern (such as VPSS records of prior disciplinary infractions or LLCC police records of prior problem behaviors).  In most cases, an interview will then be arranged with the student in question to determine next steps.

Actions taken by the team could include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Contacting next of kin, e.g., parents or guardians, (only in cases where potential threats warrant such action) to gain additional insights or to relay safety concerns
• Requesting permission from the student to receive medical and educational records from external entities
• Checking with external law enforcement to ascertain whether there have been any prior interactions with the police
• Consulting with faculty and staff familiar with the student
• Barring the student from LLCC until the student provides documentation from a valid mental health professional that he/she is complying with appropriate treatments and stating that he/she is capable of functioning appropriately in the college environment

The team plans to work with Human Resources and Academic Services to provide training opportunities for interested faculty and staff focusing on classroom management techniques and how to respond to distressed and distressing students.

At this time we encourage you to contact any member of the team if you have concerns about student behavior which you have observed in your classroom or other locations on campus.  We suggest the following referrals guidelines:

• If you feel that the student is distressed but not a danger to self or others, call Advising and Counseling (6-2224) and indicate that the student needs to see a counselor for personal counseling.
• If you find the student distressing—the student’s behavior is extremely unusual and disruptive of the immediate environment (classroom, office or other) even after implementation of standard classroom management techniques, and/or you perceive some element of threat—contact the Behavior Intervention Team through Faye Fullerton (6-2597 or faye.fullerton@llcc.edu).  If necessary, you may also contact any of the other three members of the BIT to activate the team’s review.
• If you feel that the behavior you are observing poses an immediate threat or danger to self or others contact LLCC Police (6-2222 for emergencies, 6-2278 non-emergency).

Don’t hesitate to contact any member of the team with questions.  Also, for your assistance, please download a printable set of referral guidelines.