Responding to Challenging Student Conduct
Steps for Crucial Conversations with Students to Address Behavior Issues or Concerns (Office
Hours or Outside of Class)
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Make yourself non-threatening to the student.
Cultivate your curiosity about their behavior choices.
State the issue clearly without judgment.
Cite your syllabus (classroom expectations) and/or Cabrillo Conduct Policies (SR&R
Handbook)
Give an example of the behavior.
Present the impact of the behavior on others.
Offer support or a strategy to address issue.
Email the student a follow-up summary of key points within 24 hours
Non-threatening Conversation Starters:
What if…..
Could you try….
I am concerned about….
I observed…..
Can you tell me……
I wonder…….
I think……..
It seems like…….
Can you share with me…..
Email Summary
Dear John,
Thank you for meeting with me during my office hours yesterday to discuss your inappropriate use of your cell
phone in History 1A class on Wednesday, January 20, 2015. When I asked why you decided to take the phone call
while you were sitting in class, you shared with me that your family had an emergency and that you needed to take
the call. I am sorry to hear about your situation with your family. I still have concerns about the incident in my class
including, the way you handled the incident and the disturbance it caused for other students in class. I shared with
you that it would have been helpful to have known about your situation in advance of class yesterday. You can
always communicate with me during office hours, before class or via email. During our conversation, I reminded
you that I have a "no cell phone use policy" included my syllabus. I understand emergencies happen, please take
your calls outside. Before our next class session, please do the following:
1) Revisit our class syllabus to familiarize yourself with class expectations.
2) Keep me informed of any updates regarding your situation.
3) Please sit close to the door so that you can excuse yourself immediately from my class when your phone rings
with the least disturbance to the class as possible.
4) Please keep your ringer on vibrate. Other students should not hear your phone ring.
5) Please keep in mind that the amount of time you spend outside and on the phone, you will miss key class
activities and information that can have an impact on your academic performance. I want you to be successful.
6) Given the stress of your family situation, consider seeking some counseling support from Student Health
Services. I would be more than happy to walk you over to Student Health Services this week and help you schedule
an appointment. You can also call 479-6435.
Finally, if there are any additional incidents in class this semester, the next step will be for me to file a Disruptive
Student report and submit it to the Dean of Student Services for conduct follow-up.
1/21/2015 SSCT Spring Flex 2015